Summoner of Death
by Trafalgar Neo
Summary: Law has always been the one to control death. But now death wants to control him. Multi-OCs, Neo/Law, some M content
1. Power Released

**Multiple OCs, set some time after Dressrosa, no spoilers for my other story will be in here. Probably an AU story.**

 **Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance**

 **Constructive Criticism is welcome.**

Power Released

The pristine blue of the seemingly endless sky was misguiding.

But nothing, not even the world's strongest telescope could capture a glimpse of the darkness that manage to somehow conceal itself against the blue sky.

If clouds could gather up the hostile intent that was flying through the air and release it like rainwater, the planet would have been flooded with hostilities within minutes.

But it wasn't possible.

The blue sky continued to stretch on, the stratocumulus clouds suspended lazily, both completely unaware of the darkness that soared through it, completely unaware of the dangers that were lurking right out in the bright sunlight on this warm day.

Typically, one would think that such darkness and malicious intent couldn't be hidden, but it was. It blended into its surrounding, no matter what those surroundings were. Hidden in plain sight from all prying eyes that dared to glance upwards.

It wanted to be spotted. It wanted to attack. It wanted to hurt. It wanted to kill.

But it couldn't.

It had a mission. It was looking for someone. For eight long years, it had been looking for this person.

And, finally, it found them. It thought it did. This one was different from the others. This one was stronger than the others. This one already commanded Death.

This one had to be the one it was looking for.

Tilting its eyes downward, it scanned the islands that blurred beneath it as it flew passed them. It flexed its long, spindly fingers out before tightening them into a fist. The person that it was seeking was tantalizingly close. So close that it could taste the person's power.

It could feel the person's power radiating from miles away, days away. The power was so strong, so invigorating. It _had_ to be the one it was looking for. None of the others had a presence that was this strong. This one had promise.

The creature picked up its speed, blurring the world around it, eager to finally reach its destination.

But still, while flying towards its target, it reminded itself that it needed to be careful. A power this strong surely wasn't one to be taken lightly. Even if this person wasn't aware of the power that they held within them, they were still a threat until the ceremony could be completed.

…

 _One Hour Before Contact_

…

Law sighed. His eyes roamed over the books that were scattered out before him on his desk. Turning from the books, he scribbled some notes down in his notebook then returned his eyes back to the books to read more of its content. He sighed again. He just couldn't concentrate. And this was the perfect chance for him to get some studying done on some new medical procedures that had recently been released. Both his crew and the Straw Hat crew were scattered about the island they were currently docked at.

After three days straight of Luffy complaining about being sick of sailing for two weeks without stopping, Law finally gave into the younger captain's demands of stopping at an island for a few days. The Straw Hat captain was elated. And, despite his own crew not showing any outward signs of it, he knew that they were also just as excited.

The sub was completely silent. He was completely alone. This should have been the perfect time for him to study. But his mind refused to concentrate on the books in front of him. His mind kept getting distracted by the thoughts of his lover, his wife, who was currently being escorted around the island by Penguin, Ikkaku, Topaz, and some of the Straw Hats. He wasn't sure which of the Straw Hats were with her. He assumed, without a doubt, that the Straw Hat doctor was with her and the two women. The Straw Hat women wanted to take Neo shopping for maturity clothes. He thought the money spent on them was going to be a waste. He knew that Neo would wear his clothes the majority of the time during her pregnancy. She would need the extra comfort. And wearing his clothes always gave her the extra comfort she needed when she needed it. Despite that, she was only three months along and most likely won't get very big because she herself was on the petite side of things.

He rubbed his neck. Leaning back over his desk, he tried once more to get himself to focus on his studying before all of the noise from the two crews decided to come back. And once again, he just couldn't do it. He wondered if maybe it was too quiet. After all, he has been sailing as a pirate captain for years. He grew accustom to having quite a bit of noise around while he was studying.

He shook his head. He knew that wasn't correct. He could study no matter how loud or quiet his own crew was. He just couldn't study around the loud, obnoxious Straw Hat captain because Luffy would get right up in his face or hover over his shoulder while asking annoying questions. Something else, in this moment, was causing him to not be able to study.

Perhaps it was because Neo wasn't near him. Maybe he was just a bit concerned about her. Or maybe it was because she was out shopping for things dealing with her pregnancy and he wasn't with her. Did other men go shopping with their pregnant wife at all? He wasn't sure. He could imagine some men going out shopping for some stuff, like the crib, but what about other stuff? What about for the maternity clothes that Neo was forced to go shopping for right now? That was more for her instead of the baby. So he didn't feel like he really had to be there. But should he have been anyway? Was that what was bothering him?

Law placed his hands behind his head. Leaning back in his chair, he stared up at the ceiling of their room. He wondered what their life was going to be like when their baby was finally here. He might not have had experience with babies since he's been sailing the seas for so long, but he did know enough from reading books and from making educated guesses. Things were going to be very hectic in the beginning. But they would be fine. Everything would be just fine.

Law focused his thoughts. He searched out for Neo and checked on how she was doing. She was still in the same exact location she had been for the past fifteen minutes. And her emotions were under control and calm. He chuckled when her craving for pizza passed to him. She's been having that craving a lot. He had half of a mind of going to her and eating some pizza with her, but didn't. He knew when she got her pizza their shared cravings would stop.

With a soft sigh, he forced himself to go back to studying. He hovered over his books and read a page, just one page before Neo's anxiety and fear hammered into him. Growling at whoever had scared her, he grabbed his hat and his sword before holding up his hand. He was going to kill whoever caused her to feel this way. He formed his Room and disappeared from the sub. "Room. Shambles."

…

As it continued to fly over the unsuspecting lands below it, it started to think about its target more. Its target was human. Humans were often frail, fragile creatures. But it knew that not all of them were. Some humans had gifts. Some humans had what was called Devil Fruit powers.

It had never confronted a Devil Fruit user directly, but it has seen some in action during its search. And they were strong. It was unsure if its own powers would be enough to handle such a powerful person. Just one person, it assumed it could.

But humans usually had friends. And those friends could also wield these Devil Fruits. Sometimes, they had lots of friends. If those friends also had these Devil Fruit powers, then obtaining its target would require a lot more power. It might even be impossible to obtain its target. It carefully thought about how it could go about getting close to this person and succeeding in its mission.

…

 _Forty Five Minutes Before Contact_

…

"I'm not so sure about this," Neo said. She stared at a white and yellow flower pattern maternity shirt that decorated a pregnant mannequin before her. She pulled her electric blue eyes from the shirt and looked at the group she was with. She took all of them in, Penguin, Chopper, Robin, Nami, Ikkaku, and Topaz. They all were staring at the shirt in consideration of how she would look in it.

"What do you mean?" Nami asked. She pointed at the flower pattern shirt. "You'll look so cute in this one. And it will go great with your hair."

Neo put her right hand behind her back and tugged at her hair. Her sky blue, slightly waving hair that had grown down to her hips while she and Law were away at Punk Hazard. Yellow and white were two colors that did go well with her hair and her sun kissed colored skin.

"Oh yeah, because that's what's important in shopping for clothes you're only going to wear for a short period of time," Ikkaku said. She picked up a dark blue shirt before dropping it back on the shelf with mild disgust.

"Well, you don't have to be such a downer," Nami quipped. "We're trying to make Neo feel better."

"I'm not being a _downer_. I'm being _realistic_ ," Ikkaku replied. She planted her hands on her hips and frowned at the Straw Hat navigator. "You don't know Neo as well as our crew does. She's going to spend the majority of the time wearing the captain's shirts and hoodies. This is just a waste of time and money."

"What's that suppose to mean?!" Nami demanded. She put her hands on her hips, matching Ikkaku's stance. "You might have known her longer than we have, but we're still her friends."

Ikkaku scoffed. "Friends or not, you're only with our crew for a short while. And it's only because of the alliance our captain put us in. Which I still think is a bad idea."

"Are you still going on about how you think our crew is worthless?!" Nami about screamed.

"Well, you're captain is a world class idiot!" Ikkaku snapped.

Neo sighed. She turned her eyes from the two women once again arguing over whether or not their alliance was worth it. She blocked out their voices while tilting her head and examined the pregnant mannequin. If it were human, the mannequin would have been in the final month of its pregnancy.

She was only three months along.

Nowhere near looking as big at this mannequin did. Her tiny baby bump, her stomach would probably not get anywhere near as rounded as the mannequin's. She wasn't sure how big her wanted or expected her belly to get. It was kind of scary. It was scary. It was absolutely terrifying. She had a tiny person growing inside of her.

Her anxiety rose. The world around her faded.

"Take a breath, Neo," Penguin's voice said, his warm familiar hand finding its way to her shoulder. "We don't want the captain thinking someone's hurting you."

Upon hearing the man's words, Neo's lungs drew in a breath, then second one, and then a third one before she could focus again. Looking around, she noticed the concern looks of her friends, but for Nami and Ikkaku since they were still arguing. The most concerned was Chopper. He was staring up at her with such worry in his eyes. She bent down and picked him up. Hugging him to her chest, she said, "I'm sorry, Chopper, everyone. I didn't mean to worry you. I'm all right."

"How dare you say that about my captain!" Nami snapped.

"I'm only speaking the truth!" Ikkaku hissed. "He is an idiot!"

"But you have no right to call him that!" Nami growled.

"All right, you two," Topaz then said, placing her hands on each of their shoulders and pushed them apart. She stepped in-between the two women before things could get out of hand. People were already starting to stare at them, mostly because they were pirates, but she still didn't want to cause a problem and get kicked out of here. "That's enough. Remember, we're here for Neo. Not to get into a fight over our difference in taste and spending money. You're upsetting her."

The two women turned their eyes from the orange haired woman to Neo. Their shoulders drooping when they saw that they were indeed upsetting their friend. Neo was holding Chopper to her chest with sad, puppy eyes pleading with them to stop.

"Right. I'm sorry," Nami said.

"Yeah. Me too," Ikkaku added. She jerked her thumb towards the door. "You know, I think I'm just going to go catch up with some of the others."

"You don't have to leave," Neo said.

"This really isn't my thing," Ikkaku replied, heading for the front of the store. "I need a drink anyway. I'm sure at least some of the boys are at the local tavern. I'll catch up to you later."

"All right," Neo said. "Remember, we're building a fire later on the beach."

"Don't worry. I'll be sure that we're all there on time," Ikkaku said with a wave before disappearing out the door.

"Would you prefer do go else where?" Robin then asked. "We don't have to shop for these types of clothing. You're not very far along as it is."

"It's fine. Some of these clothes are pretty cute," Neo said. She scanned her eyes over the store. Despite it not being a very big store, there were still a lot of clothing items in here. And there were a lot of shoppers as well. Thinking back to the docks, that area of the island was very busy as well. So busy they weren't able to dock their ships there. They had to dock south of the docks at a beach. No one really minded having to do that. They were still in walking distance of the town and it gave them quite a bit of privacy to relax. "And I can still wear them after our baby comes. Topaz can easily alter them for me."

"Indeed I can. And I'll be happy to do that for you," Topaz said with a smile and a wink.

"Then shall we continue?" Penguin asked.

Neo nodded.

"I'm a bit surprised that you're here," Nami said to the man as the small group moved away from that particular section. "I didn't think any of you Heart Pirates would want to go shopping with a bunch of women and a reindeer."

"I don't mind. I like spending as much time with my little sister as I possible can," Penguin replied. He put his arm around Neo's shoulders. "Besides, with Neo being pregnant, he wants at least two of our crew with her at all times when she's off the sub."

Nami groaned. "That man. He's way to worried and over protective about her. I'm surprised he's let her off the sub without him by her side. And I'm surprised that he hasn't already came here out of worry."

Neo swallowed back a bell filled chuckle and scratched her cheek.

"What is it, Neo?" Chopper asked, looking up from her hold.

"I think he might," Neo answered. She put her arm back around Chopper. "He's not really focusing right now. He keeps checking to see where I am and how my emotions are."

"He's so worried about you. It's cute," Chopper said with a giggle. He then gasped at his own words. "But don't tell him I said that. I don't want my body to end up severed into multiple pieces."

"Don't worry, Chopper. You can say whatever you want to about him." Neo hugged him. "I won't let him cut you into pieces. You're too cute."

The rest of the group laughed. They knew, without a doubt, that Neo would indeed prevent Law from chopping up the reindeer. She could easily calm his rage with just a simple touch or look.

"Sometimes I think that man is far too hopelessly in love," Nami said, causing another around of laughter and a nod of agreement from Neo.

"Do you see anything that you would like to get?" Robin asked a minute later.

"Well, these two are really cute," Neo replied. She pointed to the two shirts she was talking about. One was black with stars on the front of it. The stars clustered around the stomach area and went up to the left shoulder. The stars on the stomach were larger than grew smaller as they went up to the shoulder. The other shirt was a faded blue with a cartoon polar bear cradling a baby polar bear. She had to bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. Polar bears were a common theme in her clothes. She just couldn't help but get them when she found a shirt with a polar bear on it. They always reminded her of Bepo.

"Those are cute," Nami said, her eyes scanning over the shirts.

"Let me carry them for you," Chopper said. He jumped from Neo's arms, plucked the two shirts off the shelf, and tucked them under his arm.

"Well, aren't you just the little gentleman?" Penguin chuckled.

"Hey! Don't make fun of me!" Chopper screamed. He leaped into the air and flailed his arms and legs. "I love Neo! I want to help her!"

"Okay, okay!" Penguin held up his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean anything by that!"

"Are you finished shopping now?" Robin asked.

"Yeah. I'm hungry. Can we go get something to eat?" Neo asked. She then tapped her chin in thought. "Pizza sounds really good right now. With lots and lots of cheese and green peppers and pepperoni."

"I get the feeling you're going to have that craving a lot during your pregnancy," Nami said. "That's the seventh time you've had it in the past four days."

"Hm." Neo pressed her finger to her lips. "I suppose so. Can we go get some now? There should be a restaurant around here that sells pizza. Or we could go back to the sub. I could whip it up a lot sooner than anyone else can by using my crystals. Sanji already had made up some pizza dough for me."

"He did?" Penguin asked. "When?"

"Two days ago," Neo replied. "You and Bepo were down in the training room while I was in the galley with him."

"What?!" Penguin shrieked. "You were in the galley with that pervert?!"

"Yeah." Neo nodded.

"You still can't get use to him being in the galley with Neo, can you?" Nami asked, but Penguin didn't hear her.

"What?! How could the captain let that pervert get so close to you?!" Penguin ranted. "I should have known! I'll kick his-"

"Penguin, it's fine," Neo said, biting back her desire to laugh at her ranting brother.

"You know, for someone who isn't blood related to you, he sure is protective of you," Nami stated. "Sometimes I think he's even more protect over you than Tra is."

"The crew has said that exact same thing," Neo said thoughtfully. She snapped her fingers. "Calm down, Pen. I'm hungry. Lets pay for these shirts and get some pizza."

"Yes, ma'am," Penguin said, immediately forgetting his rage at his sister's command.

"Looks like Tra's not the only one who's whooped by Neo," Nami whispered to Robin.

"Indeed," Robin replied.

"The whole crew is like that with her," Topaz said. The women shared a smile before following after the others.

Once at the check out counter, Chopper put the shirts up on the counter top then stepped back for Neo to pay for them. The woman behind the counter, smile as she rang up the purchase. She was in her thirties, with short dark brown hair and eyes wearing a light yellow shirt and jeans. She smiled and asked, "So who's the lucky mother to be?"

"That would be her," Penguin said, nodding his head to Neo.

"You?!" the woman gasped. "But you're just a child!"

"I'm twenty two." Neo blinked.

"Oh, well, uh, congratulations then. Sorry I miss judged your age," the woman said. "Is this your first?"

"It's fine. I get that a lot. Thank you. And yes, ma'am," Neo replied, shyly tucking her hair behind her ear before collapsing her hands in front of her. She nervously fiddled with Law's ring that graced her finger, her thumb brushing over the heart design that matched his tattoos.

"I should have known. I'd know that petrified look anywhere since I work in this place," the woman said. "All first time mothers have it. But, trust me, once you hold that sweet babe in your arms, all the pain of childbirth will be worth it."

"Uh." Neo blinked. A feeling of dread started to settle over her.

"Oh, let me tell you," the woman continued. "I thought I was going to die before my first child was born. I seriously thought that someone was stabbing a double bladed sword inside of me when the labor pains started."

"I can sympathize with that," another woman said.

Neo jumped. When did that woman get here?

"I felt like my entire body was going to burst into flames!" the second woman said.

A third one chimed in. She said, "I felt like my hips were going to pop out of place."

Neo looked around. Several women had wondered up and were talking about the pains of their labors. She gulped. She didn't want to hear any of this. Looking around again, she tried to locate her friends, but the women had pushed in and separated them. Chopper was the only one close to her. And he was pressed up against her leg because of the crowd of women pushing him. She barely registered he was there as an icy grip of fear gripped her chest.

"No! Get away from her!" Penguin's far off voice shouted.

"Move it!" Nami's just as distance voice added.

But it was too late. Neo was boxed in. She grabbed her head. Her knees buckling under her, she screamed, "Get away from me! Law!"

"Mil Fleur! Gigantesco Mano!" Robin called out. She sprouted up two large hands around Neo, forcing the women to back up. Some women gasped at the large hands while other screamed and ran away in fear.

"Neo!" Chopper cried out. He placed his hooves on her arm and spoke calmly to her. "It's all right, Neo. They're not going to hurt you. You're safe. Just breath. Law will be here any second now."

"Ch-Chopper," Neo's voice cracked as she spoke. She peaked through her watery eyelids at the animal beside her and drew in a breath. "I'm s-sorry."

"Hey, it's okay. You don't have to apologize. We're the ones who should do that," Chopper said. "We should have noticed all those women were starting to gather around you. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Neo whispered. She took a couple slow, deep breaths. After her sixth breath, she felt Law's presence near and Robin's large hands vanished from around them. She looked up just as Law knelt down and scoped her up into his arms. She clung tightly to him, burying her face in his neck. She could feel his anger towards every single one who cornered her. She could feel his harsh glare passing between each and every female near them that wasn't on theirs or the Straw Hat's crew. "Law, I want to go home."

Law nodded. Without a word, he formed his Room and vanished from the building.

"Wh-what was that about?" The woman behind the counter asked. "We were just talking and she completely freaked out."

"She can't handle being cornered by people she doesn't know," Penguin replied. He wore a deep frown on his lips and a harsh glare in his eyes that was concealed by his hat. He took a deep breath of his own and released it. He reminded himself that these women didn't know Neo. They didn't know about her past and that they shouldn't have cornered her like they did. He was angry with them, but also at himself for letting so many strangers get so close to her. He snatched the bag that held Neo's purchases in it and headed for the door without another word.

Robin, Nami, Topaz, and Chopper followed after the man without saying anything to anyone. They too felt terrible for letting a bunch of strangers corner Neo.

…

Law warped himself and Neo all the way back to the sub. Once they popped into their room, he tossed his sword onto the foot of the bed before sitting down on the edge of it. He pushed off his shoes then repositioned himself into a more comfortable position to hold her, removing her shoes before wrapping his arms around her. "It's all right, love. We're home now. You're safe."

"I'm sorry," Neo mumbled into his neck. "I didn't mean to freak out."

"No, love. It's _their_ fault. They shouldn't have cornered you like that," Law hissed. He rubbed his hand in soothing strokes over her back.

"They didn't know. I think they were just excited to share their labor stories when they found out that I was pregnant for the first time," Neo said.

"What did they say?" Law asked.

"I don't really remember." Neo turned her face away from his neck. "They were talking about how much it hurt. I don't think I want to remember what they said."

"It's probably for the best," Law said. He loosened his hold on her. His hand slid from her back to her stomach, to her baby bump. A smile pulled across his lips just before she placed her hand over his. He locked eyes with her when she lifted up from him. He could feel her stabilizing, but he still asked her how she felt. "Are you stable now?"

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "I didn't hurt our baby by getting upset like that, did I?"

"No," Law said. He focused their bond on her pulse. It was coming back down to normal so he didn't feel the need to preform an actual check up on her nor order her some bed rest. "Just take it easy for the rest of the day. And I'd prefer it if you remained near the sub."

"All right." Neo nodded. She rested her head back on his shoulder. "Weren't you supposed to be studying?"

Law chuckled. "I was. But I had to come _rescue_ you."

"Liar." Neo giggled. Her bells filling the other wise silent room. She smiled when she felt Law's heart flutter at the sound of her chiming bells. "You were focused on me not on studying."

"And that was the right move," Law defended.

"It always is," Neo said. She lifted up from him again and placed a light feathery kiss to his lips.

He smiled and returned the exact same kiss to her before sucking her bottom lip in-between his. He then slipped his tongue into her dark cavern and tasted ever since inch of her while letting his hands roam up and down her sides. He glided his hands back down her sides, slipping them underneath her shirt, he pull it off of her. He chucked the item across the room before wrapping one arm back around her. He then rolled her over onto her back, his hand easily undoing the clasp to her bra before also chucking it across the room. He trailed kisses across her lips, her jaw, her neck, pausing to suck on her soft spot before making his way farther down her skin until he reached her right breast.

He kissed all over it, around it, underneath it before finally taking her into his mouth. He sucked softly. His lips smirking when he received a pleasurable moan from her own beautiful lips and she arched her back, pressing herself closer to him.

"Law," Neo beckoned, running her fingers through his hair before tugging on a strand. "Kiss me."

Obediently, he lifted up from her chest and pressed his lips to hers. He released a moan of his own when her hands found their way under his shirt then started working on undoing his jeans. He sat up. Pulling off his shirt, he tossed it to the floor right next to Neo's before leaning back into a kiss.

Neo summoned her earth crystals. She wrapped a vine around Law's arm and pulled him off of her and onto his back. Before he could say anything, she straddled over his hips with a smirk. She said, "I'm taking control this time. And you are going to be a good boy and listen to me."

"And if I choose not to be a good boy?" Law asked before bucking his hips into her.

Neo growled. She created more vines and wrapped them around his still free limbs. She held him tightly enough to the bed that he wouldn't be able to buck like that again. She leaned over him. Her long hair cascaded around her shoulders and brushed against Law's skin. Raking her fingers through her hair, she pulled it back over her shoulders and said, "You will behave. If you don't, then I will punish you."

"I'd like to see that," Law replied with a smirk.

"Maybe you will," Neo said. She kissed his lips before placing teasing kisses across his well-toned chest. She smiled when he shivered at her breath tickling his skin. She proceeded placing teasing kisses across him. With each kiss, the lower she got.

"Neo," Law said in a slightly warning tone.

Neo smirked up at him. She could feel him getting excited. She could feel him wanting to take her right now. But she wasn't going to give into him easily this time. She wasn't going to let him have it this easily. She was going to make him squirm. She was going to make him beg. And she was going to enjoy this.

"Neo," Law said in a more deep warning tone. He could feel her devious side taking over. An Elemental pregnancy symptom that he was divided on how he felt about.

She just continued to smirk at him before lowering a kiss just above the undone button of his jeans. She smirked again when she felt his skin twitch against her lips. She hooked her thumbs into his jeans. She started to tug them down, getting excited at the excitement she created in Law's eyes when…

 _Knock! Knock!_

"Hey, Neo! We came to see if you're all right!" Nami's voice called from the other side of the door.

"I told you to leave them alone!" Penguin's voice hissed next.

"Why? What's the big deal?" Nami's muffled voice asked.

"I think they want to be alone," Robin's voice then said.

"So we shouldn't have come to check on her?" Chopper asked.

"I told you that a hundred times while we were walking here!" Penguin growled. "We should have stayed outside like Topaz did! Do you have any idea what the captain is going to do to us?!"

Law grumbled under his breath, his mind going over thousands of ways to make them pay for this interruption.

"I'm fine," Neo called to them. "I'll come outside in a little while."

"Oh? All right then! We'll go ahead and get started on the pizzas," Nami said. "Just come out when you're ready."

Law groaned in frustration when he saw Neo's eyes light up and her pizza cravings returned to them again. "Neo. Don't."

"I'm sorry, Law. But I really, really, _really_ want that pizza," Neo said. As if to back her up, her stomach rumbled with hunger. "I forgot that I was craving that because of what happened back in the shop."

"Well, I really, really, _really_ want _you_ ," Law protested.

"We can do that," Neo said, but released her vines and her crystals faded. She blinked innocently at him with no actual intention on continuing.

Law felt his sexual desires crumbling around him. He knew she wanted pizza more than sex right now. Plus it was three to one, Neo, her stomach, and their child against him. He sighed. "Go."

"But, Law…"

"It's fine." Law sat up with a sigh then pecked her lips. "We both know this wouldn't have gone anywhere anyway once your cravings came back."

"I'm sorry." Neo batted her eyelashes at him.

"It's all right, love. I'm not upset with you," Law replied. He pecked her lips again and fed her his feelings to prove his point. "See?"

"You are the best, Law!" Neo squealed. She kissed him again before jumping off him and the bed.

"Yeah, yeah," Law grumbled as he watched Neo snatch her clothes up off the floor and put them on.

"Hey," Neo said. She walked back over to him as he swung his legs over and at on the edge of the bed. She sat down, facing him. Her knees bent up under her as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I promise I'll make up for this later."

"You don't have to," Law said. He dropped his eyes to her stomach and placed his hand over her baby bump. "If you're hungry, then you need to eat. Just don't eat too much pizza. I don't want you getting sick. And make sure thoroughly cook the pizza. And eat it hot."

"Yes, _Doctor_ Husband of Mine," Neo said with a giggle. "I remember. And I _will_ make up for this later."

"Not with the Straw Hats sailing with us," Law grumbled. He then shot her a playful glare. "Especially when you keep letting that raccoon sleep in our bed."

" _Reindeer_ , Law," Neo stressed. She narrowed her eyebrows and pecked his nose. She repetitively pecked his lips while speaking to him. "And, don't worry, we'll have plenty of time together. You'll see. Here's a preview of what I have planned."

Neo delved her tongue into his mouth. She slowly stroked every corner of his dark cavern in the slow, tantalizing way that he liked, while trailing the fingers of her right hand up to his hair. She tangled her fingers into his wild mane, working him into a trance while passing every single sexual idea she wanted to preform on him later. She smiled into their kiss when he moaned in anticipation against her and for her. She broke the kiss then nuzzled his nose. "You're such a good boy."

Law growled again. "Putting me in a trance is cheating."

"Says the one who constantly warps me out of my clothes," Neo replied. "Which I know you'll do later when we pick this up again. Now, you get back to studying or we don't be having any fun later."

Law chuckled as she pulled herself away from him. She flashed him a smile before finally disappeared out their door. He knew she was right and wrong. Her threat was an empty one. And he would warp her out of her clothes later. But still, he pushed off their bed. Grabbing his shirt off the floor, he pulled it back on before sitting back down at his desk.

…

The creature smiled. After carefully considering its situation, it decided it would be best to directly attack this one. If it tried to observe its target, there was a high chance that the target, or a friend of the target, would sense that it was there. If it directly attacked, it could catch them off guard and have a higher chance of releasing the target's power.

It grinned. Running its tongue over its sharp fangs, it could already taste the death and destruction that was to come to this world. And it couldn't wait. It didn't have much longer to wait. It was coming so close to its target.

…

 _Fifteen Minutes Until Contact_

…

Law sighed as he stretched out his legs. He rested his chin in the palm of his hand while rest his elbow on his desk. He listened to some of the muffled cries of Luffy. He wondered how it was possible for the Straw Hat captain's voice to penetrate the thick walls of his sub. But there it was. Forcing its way through to his ears. And judging from how excited the younger captain was talking and the angry shouts from others, he assumed Luffy had pulled whoever else was out there into doing something they didn't want to do. He figured it was the rest of the Straw Hats that were outside instead of his own crew. He assumed the majority of his crew was still in the town at the local tavern.

And here he was. Inside, still trying to study, but failing miserably.

He slammed his book closed. Grabbing his hat and his sword, he headed for the door. There was no point in trying to study when his heart just wasn't in it. He wanted to be with Neo. And that's what he was going to do. He made his way through his currently empty sub and wondered out onto the deck. Just as he heard, the Straw Hats, plus a couple of his own crew who had returned, were starting up a game of beach volleyball. Half of the net remained laying on the sand while the other half was being pulled into place by Franky. Turning his eyes away from them, he held out his hand and warped himself off the deck of his sub. "Room. Shambles."

With his sword free hand in his pocket and his sword resting on his right shoulder like always, Law trudged over to the only ones clearly not joining in the volleyball game, Neo, Robin, Nami, Chopper, and Bepo. The two Straw Hat women were sprawled out on beach towels in their bikinis and sunglasses while Neo was propped up against Bepo. Both the Heart Pirates were snoozing peacefully in the warm sunlight. Standing over them was Chopper, Penguin, and Shachi, all three decked out in beach attire. He glanced back over at those preparing for the volleyball game. His subordinates over there were also dressed in beach attire. He wondered when they had entered the sub to change for a second before turning his eyes back to the group in front of him.

Penguin and Shachi were working a beach umbrella into the ground and angled it to block out the sun off their favorite blue haired girl while Chopper was giving them directions of where to angle it. He said, "A little more to the left. We want to keep as much sun off of her as we can."

"Yes, Doctor Chopper," Shachi said with a snicker. He adjusted the umbrella a little more to the left. "I don't know who checks on and worries about her condition more, you or the captain."

"I'm a doctor. It's in my blood," Chopper said, proudly. He planted his hooves on his hips and smiled.

Penguin chuckled at the reindeer then smiled at Law when he noticed the captain walking over to them. He said, "Hey, Captain."

Law nodded in response while his eyes remained on Neo.

Chopper then said, "She feel asleep a few minutes ago after finishing her pizza. We thought it would be best to put up the umbrella in case she sleeps for a while. Don't want her to get burned."

Law nodded again. He continued to watch Neo sleep while the three pirates got the umbrella in a suitable position. When it was stable and in place, the two men wondered away from their captain, to join the volleyball game, while Chopper plopped down by Neo's left side, quickly falling asleep himself. The captain couldn't help but frown at the reindeer. He wanted her all to himself, but knew it wasn't possible right now, especially with the rest of the Straw Hats nearby. So he accepted the animal's presence and moved to Neo's right side. Placing his sword on the ground beside him, he propped up on his elbow and rested his head in his palm while he watched her sleep.

He brushed the back of his fingers over her arm tenderly while he watched her until they, seemingly on their own power, wondered to the hem of her white tank top. He pushed her shirt up then let his fingers glided over her stomach. Her use to be flat stomach, that held their three months conceived child. The child they weren't planning on having, the child that was conceived unintentionally after an incident on Punk Hazard caused them to get so rough with each other that their protection broke.

Anger burbled up in Law chest at the thoughts of that man trying to take advantage of his love despite having killed him for the attempt. He quickly banished his hostilities when Neo felt his anger and shifted in discomfort and started to brush his thumb over her stomach in soothing strokes. He relaxed when she released a content sigh in her sleep and her expression became light again.

He continued with the soothing strokes over her skin before an over whelming swell of affection for her and their child caused him to lean down to her. Uncaring of the giggles from the two Straw Hat women, he brushed his lips over her stomach, over the stomach caressing and nourishing their unborn child. When he lifted up from her, he noticed she had woken up. She was smiling sleepily at him. His eyebrows rose on his forehead at being caught. He smiled when she greeted him with a sleepy, "Hey."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." Adjusting her shirt back over her stomach, he laid back down beside her.

"You should be studying," Neo said.

"I was. I just thought I could use a break," Law replied. His lips twitched into a smirk when she lifted a skeptical eyebrow at him. He wondered why they even bothered to try and hide things from the other. It was next to impossible. Their bond didn't allow for much secrecy despite having the ability to block their thoughts and feelings from each other. They still knew each other far too well. So he conceded to her. He rested his hand gently on her stomach. "All right. I just wanted to be with you…both of you."

Neo's eyes lit up at his words. Her heart raced rapidly in her chest as her smile grew larger. She placed her hand over his, which was still caressing her stomach. Softly, she whispered, "Kiss me."

Leaning over, he placed his lips to hers and kissed her with slow, tender kisses. A minute later, he broke the kiss. Both panting softly as he pressed their foreheads together, pushing his hat higher on his head. He brushed his nose against hers. "You should sleep now. You're still tired."

"You'll stay with me?" Neo asked, her eyelids falling closed.

"Of course I will. Now sleep," Law ordered softly. He watched her nod in agreement before drifting off to sleep faster than he knew she really wanted to.

…

It smiled.

Looking down at the island below it. It had finally arrived. It finally found the one it was after. And the one it was after didn't have too many others surrounding him. There were two groups of people on the beach. One group was closer to the water while the other group looked to be engaging in some form of recreation that humans often took part in. It ran its eyes over the beach again until it found the one it was seeking was inside one of the ships.

Soon it would know for sure if this one were the right one.

It angled its body down towards the island, but paused. A strange foreboding feeling washed over its body. It ran its eyes over the people again. Something felt different about two of the people below it. Two felt like nature. One felt like she was the embodiment of fire itself. While the other one, was far more powerful than the fire wielder. This one had all of nature bending to her will. And something else. There was something else pulsing inside of this particular one, but it couldn't figure out what it was.

It reconsidered its plans of attack when the one it was looking for walked into its view. The one it was after walked away from the yellow ship that was anchored at the island and over to the smaller group of people on the beach. It grinned before running its pointed tongue over its sharp fangs. Rubbing its hands together like it was trying to get warm.

The creature placed its arms beside its body and shot down towards the island.

…

 _Zero Minutes Before Contact_

…

After a couple minutes of watching her, Law's own eyelids started to close to the soft sounds of her breathing. His eyes weren't even closed for a second before he snapped them back open due to an alarming presence both he and Neo felt.

Neo opened her eyes at the same time that Law did. She summoned her wind crystals, wrapped her winds around everyone that was near her, including Law's sword, and propelled them away from their current location seconds before something landed with an earth shaking crash right where they were laying.

"What's going on?!" Nami shrieked when their current sunbathing location was disrupted with a cloud of sand.

Robin crossed her arms over her chest in preparation for attacking if it was needed.

"What was that?!" Chopper asked, dangling from Neo's arms as they all stared at the spot they were once resting on.

"Huh?" Bepo woke up. He stared in confusion at the entire inverted world that was now before him. "What's going on? Why is the entire world suddenly upside down?"

Law glanced at Neo, eying her for any possible damage she might have taken despite feeling she was in no pain. When her eyes met his, he nodded. She nodded back in understanding then guided her winds to blow away the still circling sand.

Everyone gasped at the strange creature when Neo's winds revealed it.

It was surrounded in dark purple flames, but they could still see its skin was completely black. It had long limbs, boney elbows and knees, spindly fingers, pointed ears, no clothes, no definable features to suggest if it was male or female, and no hair on its body. Squatting down like a frog in the crater it created on its impact, it lifted its head up, revealing its yellow eyes with a vertical black slit in the center, to the gawking pirates before it.

A soft hiss extended from its lips.

"What…what is that thing?!" Bepo shrieked, flailing wildly in his upside down position.

…

"All right!" Sanji cried while spinning the volleyball on the end of his index finger. He looked over the two crews about ready to face off against each other in a, hopefully friendly, game of beach volleyball. "Let's get ready to play! Everyone ready?!"

"I'm ready!" Shachi shouted.

"Same here!" Penguin added.

"Ready as I can possibly be," Tero said. He crossed his arms over his chest and wondered once again how he managed to get pulled into this ridiculous game.

"You need to learn how to chill and have fun," Topaz said. She pulled her orange hair back into a braid and tied it off with her hair brat.

"Only when you Elementals learn how to stop being such a pain," Tero grumbled.

"Don't listen to him, Topaz! You Elementals are the sweetest creatures ever to walk the face of the planet!" Sanji cooed happily while he spun around in a heart filled tornado. His eyes ran over the curves of Topaz's black bikini clad body.

Topaz laughed. "You're so sweet, Sanji."

Tero scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Quit being a jerk, you jerk!" Sanji snapped at the Heart Pirate.

Basil, the second cook of the Heart Pirates, laughed and said, "Don't let Tero's attitude bother you too much, Sanji. He really does care about Neo and Topaz. He just doesn't want to admit it."

"Yeah. Right," Tero grumbled, wondering again how he got pulled into this ridiculous game. "This whole thing is stupid. We don't even have the correct number of players for this game."

"But everyone else is in town. And the girls don't want to play," Luffy said. He looked over to where the girls were lounging out in the sun with the two animal pirates. "And Tra is being boring and hiding out in his ship."

"The captain has a lot of work to do," Shachi said. "Being the surgeon he is, he's always busy studying up on new surgical tech-"

"Boring!" Luffy cut the Heart Pirate off. "Let's play!"

Shachi sweat dropped at the short attention span of the Straw Hat captain.

"It doesn't matter," Usopp said from his referee stand. "This is just a friendly game anyway. Now, let's get this game going."

"Um, excuse me," Brook said. "I really don't want to pla-"

"Come on, Brook!" Luffy grabbed the skeleton. He ran into position and dropped Brook, face first, into the sand. "Let's play!"

Brook pushed up on his hands, sand pouring out of his open mouth, and hallow eyes.

"No cheating now, stupid cook," Zoro taunted as he walked to the opposite side of the net. He decided he'd switch teams with Topaz just for the chance to beat Sanji at this game.

"Same to you, moss head!" Sanji snapped back.

Usopp blew his whistle, simultaneously ending the fight and starting the game.

"Let's go!" Luffy cried. He tossed the ball up into the air and smacked it over the net. The game had officially started.

A short three minutes later, Usopp sighed as he watched the game before him. Well, game wasn't the right word for this anymore. Battle or war was more fitting. He should have known this how this would end up. Games always ended up more like a war zone when Sanji and Zoro were together, or even on separate teams. Their suppose to be friendly game quickly escalated into a battle with each pirate using their full strength to try and score a point. He watched as the ball bounced back and forth between the two teams just as fast as insults were hurled.

Brook screamed when the ball flew towards him. "No! I don't wanna play this game anymore!"

Luffy laughed when the skeleton dove to the ground in an attempt to escape the ball that was hurling towards him. He jumped in and bumped the ball up into the air. "Get it, Sanji!"

"I'm on it!" Sanji shouted. He leaped up into the air and slammed the ball down to the ground.

"Get it!" Shachi cried when the ball hurled towards them.

"I got it!" Penguin replied. He dove for the ball, but it slipped passed him when he and the others sensed a dark, unwanted presence hurling towards the beach. Just as the ball hit the ground, the ground shook violently. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and looked over towards the ocean. "What the heck? Neo!"

"What is that thing?!" Tero asked as his, and everyone else's eyes landed on the strange creature that now was on the beach. Without another word, the two crews ran over to the creature. Zoro plucking his swords from the sand as they went.

…

Law ignored his subordinate's question, but not because he didn't actually know the answer. With hot anger seething through his chest at this creature for almost landing on his love and child, he snatched his sword out of the air and unsheathed it with a violent jerk. He pointed the glinting blade at the creature and hiss, "Who are you?!"

The creature didn't answer.

"Perhaps it doesn't speak," Robin offered.

…

The flames around the creature flared up before gathering in front of it. It felt extremely elated. Finally. The time was here. Locking its yellow eyes onto its target, the creature shot out a piece of its flames toward its target.

…

Neo narrowed her eyebrows at the strange flames around the creature before them. She had no idea what the creature itself was, but she was more confused at the flames that surrounded it. They snapped and cracked like real fire, but there was no heat coming from it. There was no actual fire inside of the flame. Still, she sensed something, some kind of magic or power inside of the creature and its flames. _'Law, be careful. I don't know what this creature is, but those aren't flames it's controlling.'_

 _'What?! Those aren't flames?'_

 _'Right. There's no fire at all. There's something there, but I don't have a clue what it is.'_

Her eyes widened and she gasped when the creature shot out its attack at Law. It moved far too fast for her. She tried to pull its flame into her fire crystals, but it didn't work since it wasn't actual fire. She tried pushing the attack away with her winds, but the flame shot straight through the winds. She tried to block it with vines, rocks, and logs, but the attack dodged passed them all as if the attack itself was alive and able to make decisions on its own.

…

Law's eyes widened a mere second after the attack was launched. He shifted his blade to block the strange attack that shot towards him while he watched Neo's attempts at trying to block it. Despite seeing Neo's defenses prove to be useless, he was still surprised that the attack squiggled passed his own blocking attempt. He cursed under his breath just before the flame slammed into his chest.

A grunt passed over his lips. It sent him flying backwards several yards. He heard Neo scream at the pain he shared with her and saw her drop to the ground, clenching her chest. But he couldn't stop himself. The attack was too fast and too strong. He had no idea how long he flew, but suddenly he stopped with his breath expelling from his lungs once his back collided with the ground.

…

Neo gasped and clenched her chest. She dropped to her knees, gasping desperately for air while preparing for Law to collide with the ground. The seconds seemed to pass on agonizingly slow before she felt the pain from Law's back colliding with the hard beach. She slumped forward, expecting to hit the ground, but landing in someone's arms instead.

"Neo?" a worried and panicked voice asked. "Neo!"

"I-I'm fine," Neo gasped. Pulling air back into her lungs, she looked up to see it was Robin who had rescued her. "Thanks, Robin."

Robin smiled.

"Neo!" several voices shouted.

Neo glanced to see those who were playing beach volleyball were now running over to her. All of the pirates were furious, but Luffy, without a doubt, held the most fury. She watched as he ran right towards the creature and attempted a punch at it. She heard a round of surprised gasps when the creature faded away before Luffy's punch could even come close to hitting it. She watched as the Straw Hats followed after the creature when it reappeared a few feet away, trying to hit it with very thing they had.

"How is it possible that thing is faster than all of our crew?!" Nami gasped. Her eyes were locked on her crew and their attempted attacks.

"Take that thing out, Luffy!" Chopper screamed. "Destroy that thing, Sanji! Kill it, Zoro!"

Bepo blinked at the rage that was coming from the small animal at his feet. He looked over at the creature. He wanted to help the Straw Hats, but knew he should stay near Neo. He glanced down the beach, hoping his captain would be fine. Since Neo was still alive and breathing, it was only a matter of time before his captain would join the Straw Hats and murder the creature for attacking.

"Neo! Are you all right?!" Penguin asked as he and the rest of their crew gathered around her. He knelt down on her left side and placed his hand on her shoulder while the rest of their crewmates stood behind them, one eye on Neo the other on the creature the Straw Hat men were fighting.

"I'm fine. We need to-Ah!" Neo started to say as Robin helped her stand up. Her voice was cut off when a sharp pain stabbed through her entire body. Her knees buckled underneath her and she collapsed back to the ground.

"Neo?!" the pirates screamed.

"Neo! What's happening?!" Chopper asked. He planted his hooves on Neo's knees and looked up at her, worried.

"Neo, talk to us!" Topaz said. "What's happening?"

"I-I don't know. S-something's happening t-to Law," she replied, struggling to look up. When she did, she wished she kept her eyes down. Law was engulfed in a similar flame as the creature only his flames were a soft blue. And his eyes. His eyes were no longer the steel color she had come to love so much. They were dark, black with a vertical slit of dark blue in the center. But what scared her the most was the malicious intent behind his eyes, the intent to kill.

…

Law growled once his body finally rolled to a stop. He gripped his sword so tight that the hilt started to cut into his skin. He forced himself to stop. He already caused Neo enough pain. He wasn't going to cause her anymore. But he was going to cause that creature a ton of pain. He was going to torture that creature until it was begging for mercy, until it was on the verge of death. Then he was going to heal the creature and torture it all over again. He was going to repeat this process until his bloodthirsty revenge was satisfied. Then he was going to kill the creature in the most horrific way he could possibly think of.

He pushed himself up off the ground. He got to his feet, took one step and lurched to a stop when a strange heaviness suddenly weighted him down. A strong pulse followed by a wave of heat that rivaled volcanic lava, flowed through his veins. His sword-wielding arm trembled. His fingers loosened on the tilt and his sword slipped from his grip, landing on the sand with a thump.

He stumbled forward.

His vision darkened as thoughts of death and destruction paraded through his brain one right after another until that was all that consumed his mind.

He wanted to kill. He wanted to destroy. He leaned down and picked up his sword.

He looked up. His lips curling into a murderous grin when his now black eyes landed on the pirates occupying the beach in front of him.

He wanted to kill _them._

…

"How dare you attack Neo and Tra?! You're going to pay for that!" Luffy shrieked while leaping up into the air. Eyes filled with rage, he pulled back his fists and fired his punches at the creature below him. "Gum Gum Gatling!"

The creature dodged. Slipping with ease through the onslaught of fists. It turned when it sensed another attack coming from behind it. It leaped into the air a half of a second before Zoro could slice his blades through its body.

"Joue Shoot!"

"Strong Right!"

The creature dodged the attack with ease then dropped back down to the beach. It looked up when it heard a terrified shriek.

"Ah!" Brook screamed when the creature looked at him. He held his sword in his hand, but clearly didn't want to go on the attack. "Please don't kill me! I don't want to die! Although…I am already dead."

The creature smiled. It was clear that some of these humans were strong, very strong, but some of them were also weak. Still, it knew it had to be careful. While it clearly had the upper hand, it didn't know what all these humans were capable of. Its eyes wondered over at one of the humans that weren't fighting.

"Eek!" Usopp squeaked when the creature looked at him. He held his Black Kabuto in his hands, ready to strike, but not wanting too. "S-stay back! I've got you in my sights! I'm the great and powerful Usopp! Might warrior of the sea!"

The creature's smile grew. It was clear this human was lying. His legs were trembling underneath him. It took a step towards the liar, but paused when the ones who had attacked it surrounded it. Its smile faded for a second before pulling back across its dark lips.

"What's with the smile?" Sanji asked. "We've got you completely surrounded."

"And we haven't even started fighting yet," Zoro said, pointing one of his blades at the creature. "Once we do, you're dead."

The creature's smile just grew more.

"I don't think it cares," Brook said.

"You get the feeling it knows something that we don't?" Franky asked.

"Indeed," an unfamiliar, scratchy voice said.

"Huh? Who said that?" Luffy asked. He whipped his eyes around, but couldn't locate who was talking.

"It was I, you fool," the voice said.

The pirates' eyes dropped to the creature before them.

"Did you just…" Brook started.

"I did," the creature answered.

"Ah! It spoke!" Luffy, Brook, Usopp, and Franky shouted.

"Who cares if it can speak? It attacked our friends," Zoro said, tightening his hold on his swords. "It's dead."

"You think so?" the creature asked. It took a step back.

"You are. You have no idea who you just attacked," Zoro said.

"Perhaps," the creature said, taking another step back. "I do not know who you all are. And, quite frankly, I don't care. There is only one I care about here. And I have done what I came to do."

"You're not going anywhere," Sanji said, catching the creature's intent on escaping.

"You think so?" the creature asked again. "I think you all have a more…pressing matter to deal with."

"And what would that be?" Franky asked just before a strong gust of wind blew over the island followed by a strong desire to kill.

The Straw Hats turned towards the direction the intent to kill was coming from. Their eyes widened in shock as their jaws dropped open.

"Wh-what's happening to Tra?" Luffy managed to ask.

No one answered. No one had an answer. All they could do was stare at the strange blue flames engulfing the Heart Pirate captain and the strong desire to kill in his now darkened eyes as he stalked down the beach towards their friends.

…

The creature smiled. It had succeeded in its mission.

This human was the correct one. This human was the one it was looking for.

This human was the Death Summoner.


	2. Fighting Law

Fighting Law

"What did you do to Tra?!" Luffy demanded as he charged at the creature. He pulling back his punch and threw it out. He growled in frustration when the creature dodged by appearing to disappear from their sights causing his punch to hit nothing but sand.

"What the heck?!" Sanji cursed.

"Did that thing disappear or did it just move really fast?" Zoro asked.

"Guys, we are in some super big trouble here!" Franky called. He pointed over to the other group. "Trafalgar is about to attack the others!"

"We have problems of our own!" Zoro said once his eye finally located the creature when it reappeared thirty yards down the beach. Turning, he charged at it. Once close enough, he swiped his swords, but the creature jumped into the air.

"What do we do?!" Usopp asked. He fired several shots at the creature, but the creature easily dodged them despite being suspended in the air. "We're out matched with Law! And we have no idea what this bizarre creature is capable of doing! It has yet to actually attack us!"

"Luffy! You'll be best to fight against Mr. Tra!" Brook stated. "Go and help them! We will take care of this creature!"

"But that thing is the one who really hurt Neo!" Luffy growled. He leaped up into the air and fired another around of attacks at the creature when it landed on the beach. "Gum Gum! Gatling!"

The creature zigzagged through Luffy's barrage.

"Hey! Watch what your doing!" Zoro snapped while diving out from underneath Luffy's assault when his captain almost hit him. "You almost hit me!"

"Sorry!" Luffy replied.

"Luffy! We have to help Neo!" Sanji said. He looked over to the group facing off against the parentally possessed captain. "She's in pain and shocked right now! And no one else can match up to Law! Only you and Neo will be able to stop him! It's going to be difficult, but we have to get her to use her wind crystals on him! She can pull the air from Law's lungs and get him to pass out without causing damage to anyone!"

"But he…" Luffy glared at the creature. He growled with the creature just smiled and chuckled at their predicament. He took a dark step towards the creature. "I'm going to kill you!"

"Luffy!" Sanji snapped. "There's no time to argue! Neo _needs_ you right now!"

Luffy flinched. He was torn between ripping this creature apart, piece by piece, and helping Neo. But that only lasted for a split second. Neo was far more important to him than this creature. He knew that if his crew got a hold of it, the creature was dead. He spun away from the creature. Hissing, he said, "Fine! Take care of him! I'm going to Neo!"

"Right," Sanji and Zoro said with smiles of anticipation in ripping this thing into as many blood pieces as they possibly could.

"We got this," Franky added, cracking his knuckles.

"Good luck, guys! I'm cheering for you!" Usopp said from several yards away.

"Have fun!" Brook waved from beside Usopp.

"You two get over here and help!" Sanji shouted.

"Never mind them," Zoro said, tying his bandana onto his head. "I can handle this easily enough."

"You're not doing this alone," Sanji said. "Neo's my friend too."

"I see the woman is very important to you all," the creature said.

"Of course she is! She's our friend!" Sanji growl. "And you're going to pay for hurting her and Law! Why did you even attack in the first place?! What did they ever do to you?!"

"They did nothing. The man just has something that I need," the creature replied. "Just give him to me and I'll leave you all alone."

"Fat chance!" Zoro replied. He pointed one of his sharp blades at the creature. "You're going to die!"

"And what does he have that you _need_?" Sanji asked.

"He is the Death Summoner," the creature said. "I want that power. I want him so I can have that power."

"Death Summoner? What the heck is that?" Franky asked.

"That you will never know," the creature replied, cocking its head to the side.

"Is that so?" Sanji cocked his head to the side and smiled. "Well, I got some bad news for you. You're not going to get him or this Death Summoner thing. Neo and Law are both under our protection."

"They are so weak that they need all of _you_ to protect them?" the creature asked, lifting its forehead like it would lift an eyebrow. "How interesting."

"Don't let that foul you," Zoro said. "We're strong. But they are strong as well. You've dug your own grave here."

"Is that so?" The creature looked over at the other group. It smiled when it saw Neo was crumpled into a pathetic mess. "The woman doesn't look like she's all that strong despite a strange power I sense within her."

"Don't let her current state foul you," Sanji said. "She's just in shock. Once she's snaps out of it, she'll released all the forces of nature on you for hurting the one she loves the most in this world."

"Nature, you say?" the creature asked. "I sensed that from her. But it doesn't matter. The man's power has been released. And nothing can stop it now."

"We'll just see about that!" Zoro dashed forward. He sliced his swords at the creature.

The creature dodged his attack then dodged a kick from Sanji.

…

Neo, forcing herself to sit up through the pain, glanced over at Law through blurry vision. She tried to reach out for him, but something dark was present inside of his mind. _'Law, please, talk to me.'_ Nothing. He didn't respond to her at all. It scared her. Law has always been her most comforting, stabilizing presence since he gained her trust. This distance now between them was a disturbing feeling. And she was going to put a stop to it. Pulling away from Robin's arms, she whimpered at the sharp, needle like pain stabbing her from the inside, as she struggled to push herself to her feet.

"Neo, don't move," Robin said softly.

"I have too," Neo replied. Pulling more away from the older woman, she managed to lift herself to her feet. Robin instantly followed her, keeping her arms at the ready to catch Neo if she needed it. "I can't let this continue. I have to do something."

"But you're hurt," Chopper said with worry.

"Don't push yourself too hard now, Lil Lady'," Basil said. "It's easy to tell that you are in some serious pain here."

Neo gave the second chief a weak smile and said, "I know. But I have to do this."

"What exactly is happening to the captain?" Penguin asked. "Can you tell anything with your bond?"

"I'm not really sure," Neo replied, turning her eyes to look at the man who had become her best friend and brother. "He's in pain too, but for some reason it's not effecting him like it is me. It feels like there's another presence inside of Law that's making him do all of this."

"Another person inside of him?" Penguin asked. Sweat ran down the side of his face. The mere thought of someone else using his captain's powers with the intent to kill anyone in their path was enough to send multiple shivers down his spine. And he was never one to easily get scared. But this thing inside of their captain was wielding not only the powers of a Devil Fruit, but also the unknown powers of this aura. Penguin bit the inside of his cheek. Did someone actually inhabit their captain's body? Was that person really in control? One thing he knew for sure was his captain would never willingly attack them. Their captain only turned his sadistic nature towards enemies. Their captain cared a lot about the well being of his crew.

"What do we do?! What do we do?!" Bepo shrieked as Law stalked closer to them. "He's coming closer!"

"With Law's severing powers, we don't stand a chance against him," Chopper said. He looked at Law then back at Neo. Eying her state carefully while Robin was propping her up again, he knew she was really their only chance of beating Law. But would she be able to do it? She was already in a lot of physical pain from whatever was happening to Law. He also knew she was in a bit of mental and emotional pain because of all this. And he knew that Law and Neo have never fought each other with their abilities or even in hand to hand combat. Law was far to protective of her to be a suitable training partner for her. It wouldn't have done either of them any good to train with each other. Neo's training was always left up to the crew, mostly Tero since he wasn't as attached to her as the others were.

"We have to do something!" Basil shouted. "We have to attack!"

"Are you insane?!" Shachi and Penguin shrieked. "Do you have any idea what the captain will do to us?!"

"Then what do you suggest?!" Basil demanded. "We don't have any sea prism chains with us!"

"Maybe the town has some," Bepo suggested.

"Will you think a little about that?! By the time someone got back with them we'd all be dead!" Shachi snapped.

"I'm sorry," Bepo replied dropping his head in a depressed aura.

"Stop that!" Shachi demanded.

"Well, we have to do something!" Tero said.

"Too late!" Shachi cried. The arguing group looked up in time to see their captain rushing towards them with his sword at the ready.

"This is just great! We don't even have any weapons on us!" Tero shouted. "Not that they'd do much good!"

"Well, I've still got mine!" Topaz cried. Summoning her fire crystals all around their captain. She flared them up into a large fire dome, sealing the captain inside of it.

"Yeah! Now that's some serious fire power!" Nami cheered happily.

"But did it work?" Chopper asked. He shrieked when Law's Room flowed out of the fire and Law popped into their vision. "Ah!"

"Does that answer your question? That creature just had to attack a Devil Fruit user," Tero scoffed with a roll of his eyes. "He couldn't have picked the weakling Straw Hat woman navigator."

"Hey! Who are you calling weak?!" Nami demanded. She grabbed a handful of Tero's cheek and pulled on it. "Just because I'm not freakishly strong or a Devil Fruit use does not make me weak!"

"Ash-ual-y, it do-s," Tero retorted. He glared at the navigator and refused to show any short of pain to her. Not that her wimpy little pinch was actually hurting him.

"Take that back!" Nami hissed, pulling harder on his cheek.

"Can you two settle this later?!" Penguin asked.

"Fine!" Nami and Tero hissed. They turned away from each other and faced back towards Law. The captain had started walking towards them again.

"What do we do then?" Nami asked. "He's a Devil Fruit user and we're pretty much defenseless against him."

"We're just going to have to face him head on and hope for the best!" Shachi shouted before taking a defensive stance.

"What?!" Nami shrieked. "Are you insane?! What the heck kind of plan is that?!"

"Do you have a better idea?! We don't have any choice!" Shachi replied. He looked at the Straw Hat pirate then down at Neo. "We all know that Neo is the only one who can actually face up to the captain and actually have a chance of winning!"

"You want her to fight him?!" Nami asked, her eyes widened in shock and fear.

"No, she doesn't have to _fight_ him," Shachi replied with a shake of his head. "We've told you before that she can use her wind crystals to pull the air out of a person's lungs. It's a trick she picked up when we fought against another Devil Fruit user who controlled the wind."

"What?!" Neo gasped. "I can't do that! I can't! I don't want to hurt him!"

"Neo, you have too," Tero said with a firm voice. He walked in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You know exactly what our captain will do if he makes it to the town. Once he gets past us, it's obvious that's where he'll go."

"But I…" Neo's voice trailed off. She looked back at Penguin when he spoke to her.

Clenching his fists, Penguin said, "If he gets into the town, he could kill everyone there. His bounty is already 500 million after what happened in Dressrosa. Attack innocent civilians will only make his bounty jump higher. We have to stop this. Now."

"And you're the only one who can do that," Tero said. "Remember when you had to force the captain to use his powers on you before you left for Punk Hazard? This is pretty much the same thing. He didn't hurt you because he had no intension of doing that. And you have no intension of hurting him now. All you're going to do is knock him out. You don't have to be afraid of using your magic on him. You've flown him plenty of times before. You're only _attacking_ him to protect him."

"I understand. I hate it. But I do understand that. However, Law can just warp away from me," Neo said. "I might not be fast enough to pull the air out of his lungs before he warps. And what if he wakes up? We have no idea what this thing is actually doing to him. It might have some kind of defense against me doing this. We need some sea prism chains to keep him down. At least, that way he won't be able to move and that thing can't use him anymore."

"But we don't have any," Shachi said. "We really need to rethink not having them on board."

"Wait!" Bepo suddenly shouted. He slammed a paw down in his other paw. "We do have some sea prism stone chains."

"You do?" Chopper asked.

"Yeah." Bepo nodded. He then looked at his crewmates. "Remember? We picked up a pair by chance before Neo and the captain left for Punk Hazard."

"He's right!" Shachi and Penguin shrieked.

"I forgot about that," Basil said. "The captain did say it would be handy if we ever had to take a Devil Fruit user captive."

"All right. Bepo, go get the chains," Tero said, removing his hands from Neo's shoulders. "We'll fight off the captain while Neo tries to knock him out."

"But you can't just…" Nami started.

"Nami, we don't have a choice," Robin said.

"Fine. Then just do something already," Nami said in defeat. Fighting really was their only option.

"You know he's going to slice us up in to several pieces," Tero said for no good reason.

"Do you really have to be such a pessimistic?!" Shachi and Penguin growled.

"So he's not going to slice us?" Tero crossed his arms over his chest and lifted an eyebrow at them.

"He's right," the two Heart Pirates said while being shadowed with a grey depressed aura. "We're going to die."

"You're not going to die! Now quit fooling around and get going!" Chopper snapped. His voice turned softer when he spoke to Neo. "Are you ready? Robin and I will support you. Just focus on Law."

"Right." Neo nodded. She looked at Robin. The older woman gave her a supportive smile. She smile back then turned her eyes to her crew.

"Surround the captain and attacking in multiple directions will probably be the best method of attacking," Basil said. "If we can get him distracted or confused enough, maybe one of us can knock him out. That way Lil Lady won't have to use her crystals on him. Bepo, go find those sea prism chains."

"I'm on it!" Bepo said, dashing away from the group.

"You all ready?" Tero asked. The Heart Pirates nodded. "Then lets do this!"

"Right!" the Heart Pirates screamed then charged forward towards their beloved captain.

"Be careful," Neo whispered to herself as she watched her crew charge towards their beloved captain. She hated this. She hated this happened to Law. She hated that her family had to fight each other. She hated that creature for doing this. It made anger built up inside of her and a storm gather above her. Clenching a hold of her chest, she turned her eyes to the creature the Straw Hats were fighting. She wanted to attack that thing right this second but didn't allow herself too. No matter how angry she was getting, Law was far more important than that creature. She would wait until Law was under control then strike at the creature.

…

Robin, Nami, and Chopper looked up at the sky when a low rumble of thunder sounded off. Dark clouds blew in when the wind started to pick up. They dropped their eyes to Neo. Knowing she was doing this. They remained silent. No words could help smooth this over. All they could do was their best to hold off Law and hope they could find someway of undoing what that creature had done to him. Besides, they knew it would be better to let Neo get angry. She became more powerful and focused when she did. She could easily strike down the creature when it was time for it, and if their own crew didn't beat her to it.

…

Turning her eyes back to Law, Neo flinched at the obvious struggling her crew was having within just a couple minutes of starting this fight. Topaz was using her fire crystals to try and distract Law while the others were trying to sneak in and whack him on the head. But none of it did any good. Law would just easily severe a body part off or warp himself or the attacker away. Penguin and Shachi were both missing an arm, Basil was missing his right foot, but was determined enough to keep fighting, Tero was missing his left ear, and Topaz was still whole but some of her crystals had gotten severed.

Neo narrowed her eyebrows when she noticed something else. There was blood. Her heart skipped a beat. Under Law's Room there shouldn't have been blood. So why was there now? Maybe she was imagining things. With a shaky voice, she asked, "Chopper?"

"What is it?" he asked looking up at her.

"Do you smell blood?" Neo asked in a low tone while changing the direction of the wind so they were down wind of the battle.

Chopper sniffed the air. Panic rose in his eyes when he finally noticed the iron that was there. He said, "I do. But who's hurt? Everyone's still standing."

"It's that strange aura," Robin then said.

"What? What do you mean?" Nami asked. She then gasped when she saw what Robin was talking about. "Huh?!"

"But how is that possible?!" Chopper shrieked. His eyes bugged out of his head at the sight before them. The strange aura around Law was striking out at the pirates. It was cutting them up like knives. "I thought that was just some kind of glow like Neo's! How is it cutting them up like that?!"

Neo gritted her teeth and summoned her crystals. Thinking now was a good as time as any, she positioned a wind crystal near Law's mouth, and she started to pull the air out of his lungs while forcing her fears and anxiety down. She knew this had to be done. She felt at ease when Law stopped struggling, but had to look away because of the confused and shocked expression he held on his face from having the air extracted from his lungs.

"You got him!" Chopper cried out. But the celebration was far too early. Law warped himself away from the attack then proceeded to go back on the offensive. "So close!"

"Neo was right. We need those sea prism chains to keep him down," Robin said.

"Where is that bear?!" Nami looked back at the ships, hoping to see an orange and white blur running towards them. But he wasn't there. "Come on!"

…

Bepo dashed away from the group and over to the sub within ten seconds. He flew up the ladder and dove into the open door of the sub. Running as fast as he could, he made his way through the halls and down the stairs to the third floor storage rooms. He remembered they decided to store them in one of the lesser used storage rooms. That way Law wouldn't accidently run into the sea prism chains. But where exactly did they put them? He couldn't recall.

Grabbing the handle of the door, Bepo threw it open, flipped on the light, and looked around the room. The room was half full of wooden crates, some gaming equipment, and other odds and ends. He still couldn't recall where they put them. "Ah! Where are they?! Did we shove them in a corner?! Put it in one of these boxes?! Where?! Where are they?!"

Moving away from the door, Bepo started desperately searching through the crates. He grew more desperate as the seconds ticked by. He was on the verge of tears when his boot hit the chains and they scrapped across the floor. Looking down, a bright smile appeared on his face when he saw his quarry. Snatch them up off the floor, he headed for the beach, hastily turning off the light as he left the room.

…

Neo growled in frustration when Law swiped his sword at Penguin. She wrapped her winds around Penguin's body and lifted him into the air just in time to avoid getting severed again. She then wrapped several vines around Law. But he easily sliced through them before she could even start to pull the air out of his lungs. _This isn't working. And I'm still too worried about hurting him to try any harder to take him out._ She gasped when she saw the look in Law's eyes shift a bit. "No! Law! Don't!"

"What's wrong?" Chopper asked.

"He's going to kill them now!" Neo shrieked. Her eyes widened in fear as her body temperature dropped. Her heart took a sharp beat inside of her chest. Pushing passed her desire to get sick, she wrapped her winds around those fighting Law and pulled them, and their severed body parts back to her.

"Neo!" Tero hissed. "Why did you do that?! You disrupted our plan!"

"Because he was about to kill you all!" Neo snapped. "I won't let that happen!"

"Here he comes!" Shachi informed them.

"What do we do?!" Penguin asked. "Nothing we've tried has worked!"

"Well, here comes something that might work," Basil said, noticing Luffy running towards them.

"Gum Gum! Pistol!" Luffy then cried out. They all relaxed, a bit, when the Straw Hat captain came to aid them. It took Law off guard and he jumped back from the punch, studying this new opponent carefully when he landed. "Stay away!"

"Straw Hat!" the Heart Pirates called out while reassembling their bodies.

"Neo?! Are you all right?!" Luffy asked when he landed between her and Law. He glanced over his shoulder at her.

"Yeah." Neo nodded. She stole a glance at Law then looked away from him. "More or less."

"Don't worry, Neo!" Luffy said, turning full body to Law. "My crew will stop that creature. And we'll save Tra!"

"Right." Neo nodded.

"You all just stand back," Luffy said. "Let me handle this."

"You've got to be kidding," Tero said. "I know you're a Devil Fruit user, but you don't have any ability that will counter the captain's severing powers."

"I don't have to stop them." Luffy gave the man a smile. "All we have to do is have Tra use up his powers enough to wear him out."

"We?" Topaz asked.

"Neo will help me," Luffy said, jerking his chin to Neo.

"What do you want me to do?" Neo asked.

"Use your wind crystals to help me avoid Tra's attacks," Luffy explained. "You've used your crystals before to fight with me. And you know Tra's moves better than anyone else. You can predict his moves before he does them."

Neo opened her mouth to protest, but she couldn't. Luffy was right. She had used her crystals on Luffy back on the Sunny when they were traveling to Dressrosa. And she did know Law very well. If she could just push farther past her fears of hurting him, she should be able to know what move he would make before he made it. She nodded.

Luffy nodded back at her then turned back to face Law. He cracked his knuckled before charging at the other Devil Fruit user. He screamed, "Just hold on, Tra! We're going to save you!"

Law's lips curled into a cruel smile. It was like he was mocking Luffy. It made Neo shiver. She wondered what was really going on inside of his head. Did he even realize he was attacking his own crew and friends? If only she could get inside of his mind and see what was going on. But she had no way of doing that. Their bond wasn't working. Or maybe she didn't try hard enough. They were bonded. Surely that was stronger than whatever this was. She knew for a fact that, no matter what, Law would never hurt her. And that didn't matter if his body was taking over by some unknown force.

Robin looked down at the young woman beside her. She has sensed a change in Neo's energy. Once she saw her eyes, Robin has a pretty good idea what Neo was going to do.

"Neo?" Chopper asked, noticing the chance in Neo at the same time the others did. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Neo replied, pulling herself away from Robin's hold.

"What are you doing?!" Penguin shrieked. He grabbed her arm. "You come back here and sit down!"

"It's fine, Penguin," Neo replied. She placed her hands over his and smiled.

Penguin flinched when he noticed that familiar look of protectiveness and possessiveness Neo got over them all when she felt they were going to get taken away from her. He backed off. Releasing her arm to let her do whatever crazy idea she had going through that pretty little head of hers.

"What's she going to do?" Basil asked.

"Be careful, Neo," Topaz said.

"I will." Neo smiled at them before turning to Law and Luffy. She walked ten yards away from them and stopped. She wrapped her winds around Luffy when the rubber man charged forward. _'Law, listen to me. I know you're in there. You're still here. You're not gone. And I won't let you go. I can help you. But you have to let me. You need to come to me. I want you to come over here to me.'_

"Gum Gum!" Luffy cried. He pulled back his fist in preparation to throw it.

Knowing he would swing upward from his right side, Neo quickly shot Luffy into the air. She flipped him over Law's attack. When he saw the opening, Luffy threw his awaiting punch at Law. Law's aura cut through Luffy's skin, but he ignored the pain and the blood splashing out of his wounds. Neo winced at the shared pain and the visual sight of Luffy's fist colliding with Law's right cheek.

"Ack!" Luffy shrieked. "I forgot you two share pain! I'm so sorry, Neo!"

"Keep fighting, Luffy!" Neo encouraged. She sensed Bepo coming back to them and knew this fight would soon be over. "I can take it! This fight won't last much longer!"

"I hate this! Fine!" Luffy conceded. "But I'm not using my stronger attacks on you two! I'll only hit him with enough force to cause a minimal amount of damage!"

"That's fine! Just keep it up!" Neo ordered. Noticing Law getting up, she focused back on him. She knew Law would warp closer to Luffy now. And he did. Waiting until the last possible second, she flew Luffy upwards, just barely missing Law swiping his sword at Luffy's tender man parts.

"Ack! That was far too close!" Luffy shrieked. He placed his hand between his legs, just to be sure.

"Sorry." Neo winched.

…

"Ouch," Shachi said with a flinch of his own.

"That would not have felt good," Penguin added.

"Will you two stop fooling around?" Tero asked.

"Oh, hush!" Basil said with a shove to the grump pirate. "I saw you flinch as well. Don't tell me that didn't give you a very unpleasant mental image."

"He's blushing," Topaz pointed out with a giggle. She poked the man's cheek with her finger. "You were just as scared as the rest of the men."

"I was not," Tero grumbled. He crossed his arms over his chest in a defiant huff.

"Why do men always have to pretend they're stronger than they really are?" Nami asked. "Your family jewels are a sensitive area. Nothing to be a shamed of. It's a weakness all you men have."

"Shut up!" Tero snapped at the navigator.

Robin smiled at the playful, yet heated, banter being exchanged. She noticed earlier on that the Heart Pirates weren't much different than her own crew. They could still have fun in seriously dire situations. She was also very glad they got along, mostly. Just like all groups, they still had their arguments and fights. But it seemed they would always pull it together when the situation called for it.

…

Neo pulled Luffy down and to Law's left when Law swung his sword at him. She notice Law paused in thought before swing his sword at Luffy again. _Is he finally noticing what I'm doing? I hope so. I really need him to get close to me. If I try to go to him, the crew will just stop me. Bepo's coming out of the sub now too. Come on, Law. Notice what I'm doing and come to me._

…

Luffy blinked when a maze of vines spread out before him. He smiled when realizing Neo was giving him cover to attack again. He ran across one while Law sliced up the vines in an attempt to get to him. Luffy popped out from behind some vines and smashed Law in the cheek and getting cut by the aura again. He flinched and forced himself not to think about what this was doing to Neo. He went to strike Law on the stomach, but stopped short and threw a kick across his shoulders instead. He knew he wouldn't cause any damage to Neo and the baby, but he still couldn't risk it. He wouldn't risk it.

…

Law flew backwards from the force of the kick. With a handspring, he flipped himself up and landed on his feet. He skidded a few feet before stopping. Lifting up his eyes, he looked over at Neo with a deep frown. He knew she was the real problem behind this. He had to stop her. Standing up, he warped himself away from his current location.

…

Neo gritted her teeth against the pain hammering her body. Just a little bit longer and this would be over. Her heart skipped a beat in anticipation when Law finally warped. If she knew him like she was sure she knew him, he would reappear in front of her right… _Pop!_ Law appeared in front of her. She heard the screams of her friends. They demanded, pleaded, and begged her to move. She didn't.

…

"Neo! What are you doing?! Get away! Get away!" Luffy shouted as dashed towards his friends in a desperate attempt to get to them before something bad, very bad happened.

…

"Neo! Get out of there!" Penguin and Chopper screamed.

"He's not seriously going to attack her!" Basil said. "Is he?"

"No way! The captain would never hurt Neo! No matter what!" Shachi had said.

"Neo! Please, get away from him!" Nami's scared voice called out.

"Neo! I don't know what you are thinking, but you get the heck out of there!" Tero demanded.

"Did she plan this?" Robin questioned.

"Why would she do that?!" Penguin, Chopper, and Shachi demanded.

"Look closely," Robin said, way to calm for the other pirates taste. Still, they turned their eyes from her and looked back at Neo and Law. "The aura around Tra isn't touching her."

"What?" everyone asked.

"She's right!" Nami exclaimed. "The aura isn't slicing her up like it did you all!"

"What was… _is_ it doing?" Tero asked.

"It looks almost like it's caressing her," Basil noted.

"You can't be serious," Tero said with a frown at his fellow crewmate.

"He's right. Look at it. The way it's flowing against her skin," Topaz said. "It does look like it's caressing her."

…

"It's fine, guys. I'm in control. Nothing bad is going to happen." Neo held her stance. Even when Law grabbed the front of her shirt, she didn't move or even flinch. "It's okay, Law. I know you're not going to hurt me. You're not lost. You're still here. You're still with me."

A flicker of familiar light cross Law's eyes and for a split second, they were back to his normal steel color eyes. She felt even more confident in her decision to get him to focus on her. Slowly, she lifted up her hands and placed them over his that was still clenching onto her shirt. She felt him twitch, tighten his hold on her, and start to lift his sword.

…

"Captain! No!" Shachi and Penguin cried out.

"Don't hurt her!" Chopper cried, tears streaming down his furry cheeks.

Robin crossed her arms over her chest in preparation to attack if it was needed while the Heart Pirates shifted their bodies back into attack mode.

Topaz summoned her crystals, but held a more relax expression than her crewmates and didn't call out her fire.

…

"No! Don't move! I want this to happen! You all know he won't hurt me! He won't hurt me or our child!" Neo shouted back to them. She caught a glimpse of Luffy moving closer to them. "Stay there, Luffy!"

"Are you sure about this?" Luffy asked, halting at her words.

"Yes." Neo nodded. She sensed Bepo circling around them, making sure to stay out of Law's vision.

"Fine," Luffy said. He smiled when he heard the Heart Pirates cursing at him and demanding him to get Neo away from Law. "Relax, guys. You all know Tra better than us. And Neo is right. I believe she knows what she's doing. So let her do it."

Neo knew they weren't happy, but they didn't voice anymore protest as she stared into Law's black and blue slit eyes. They were filled with such destruction and the desire to kill that it made it hard for her to breath. She flinched and felt like she was going to be sick. She forced the feeling out of her body. She wasn't going to cave into a pitiable mess again. She wouldn't allow herself to do that again when her friends and lover needed her. Rubbing her fingers soothingly over his skin, she spoke softly to him, "It's all right, my love. You're not going to hurt me. Let go now. That's it."

Neo continued to coax him gently and rub her fingers over his hand. Slowly, he loosened up his hold, allowing her to take his hand full into hers. She placed a kiss on his tattooed digits before lowering his hand to her stomach. Placing his hand on her baby bump, she said, "Law? Come back now. We're waiting for you."

Law blinked. His eyes turned back to normal and filled with regret and worry. "Neo…I'm…"

"It wasn't your fault, Law," Neo replied. She cupped his cheek. "And this is for your own good. Now. Bepo."

"Aye aye!" Bepo cried before wrapping the chain around his captain's wrist. "I'm sorry, Captain!"

Law's knees buckled. He dropped his sword and started to fall onto Neo. She wrapped her arms around him with a startled cry. She summoned her wind crystals and lowered him to the ground. Kneeling beside him, she cupped his cheek again. She said, "Law?"

Law opened his eyes and looked at her. She cringed while his eyes changed back and forth between their normal color and their new color. Her face paled and her stomach took a violent turn. She covered her mouth and hoped she didn't lose all that pizza she ate earlier.

Bepo pulled his eyes from his captain and looked at Neo. He gave her a sympathetic look. Through her paled expression, he could easily see she, and Law, were both still in pain over whatever was happening to his captain. Still, he asked, "Are you okay? You don't look so good."

"I'm just relieved he's under control now," Neo said, lowing her hand from her mouth and brushed her thumb over Law's cheek tenderly. She summoned her solar crystal and spread its glow over his body. Her heart sank. There was just so much pain. It felt like the pain was battling against the solar crystal's healing ability. "He's in so much pain. Both from whatever that creature did to him and for what he tried to do to us. I don't know how to stop it. I don't know how to help him."

"It'll be okay," Bepo said encouragingly. He reached over and placed his paw on her head.

"Neo!" the pirates called as they ran over to them.

"Neo, are you all right? Are you hurt?" Topaz asked. She ran her eyes over Neo's body, searching for the slightest sign of physical harm.

"I'm fine," Neo replied while Penguin and Chopper grabbed onto her, crying hysterically and mumbling something she couldn't understand. She extended her solar crystal's glow over her injured friends and looked over to the other group that was still fighting. "What about them?"

"They're about done. That creature is strong, but it seems it can't handle all three of them attacking it," Tero replied. He knelt down and reached out for his captain. He recoiled when Law's aura sliced his hand.

"What's the matter with you?!" Shachi screeched. "Did he not slice you up enough before? Or do you enjoy getting cut?! Are you some sort of secret masochist that we don't know about?!"

"Shut up," Tero replied. "I was just curious. How is it possible that this aura can hurt us? Has anyone ever heard of auras being able to do this? I didn't think auras could take on a physical state let alone be a weapon."

"Not me," Penguin said.

"Maybe there's a Devil Fruit with an ability like that," Chopper said. "But I've never heard of something like this."

"Neither have I," Nami said. She looked to Robin. "What about you? You've traveled a lot and read a lot of books. Have you ever heard of something like this before?"

"I haven't." Robin shook her head.

…

The creature ducked down when Sanji kicked out at it. Flaring up its aura, the aura pushed against Sanji's leg, knocking the man backwards. While Sanji back flipped to his feet, the creature turned its eyes to Zoro and Franky. It used its aura as a shield when Zoro tried to slice it then pushed the swordsman back. It leaped into the air when Franky threw another punch at it. It landed a few feet in front of Brook and Usopp, who screamed at the unwanted presence of the creature.

"Ah! S-stay away!" Usopp stuttered. He pulled back on his Kabuto with shaky hands and fired at the creature.

Jumping away from the sniper's attack, it turned to look for its main three opponents. When it did, Sanji landed his hardest kick on the side of its head. Crashing down into the sand, it knew it couldn't defeat these three. Its body was reaching its limit. These humans proved to be more of a challenge than it was prepared for. But it really didn't matter. The job it was here to do was completed. And that's all that really mattered to it.

"Franky! Fireball!" Franky called before spitting out his fire.

The creature dodged to its left, but the fire hit its arm. Coming to a stop, the creature wheezed and let its burnt arm dangle by its side. It looked over at Neo and Law. Frowning, it said, "Well, it looked like they managed to subdue him. Pity."

"Of course they did," Zoro said with a grin. "You got in over your head here when you decided to attack us. You should have just turned and walked away."

"Ugh!" Franky gagged at the smell of burnt flesh floating through the air. "That's a powerful stank!"

"You're the one who burnt it," Zoro said.

"Well, duh! We're trying to stop it! Aren't we?!" Franky demanded.

"It's done," Sanji said. He shoved his hand into his pocket and took a puff on his cigarette. "This thing knows it can't beat us."

"Perhaps," the creature replied, dropping to its knees. "So kill me."

"We already said we will!" Usopp said, suddenly appearing back over to the dwindling fight. He had his Kabuto out, loaded, and pointed right at the creature.

"That's right!" Brook added, holding his sword to the creature's neck.

"Oh, sure. Now you come over here when the fight is over," Zoro said. "Just go away."

"No! We have to kill this thing before it does anymore damage to Neo and Tra!" Usopp said. His hand shook in readiness to release his attack.

"Not just yet," Sanji said, holding his arm over Usopp's chest.

"Why? It just did who knows what to Tra," Usopp protested. "We should just kill it and get it over with."

"We need to know _what_ it did to Law," Sanji replied, looking at the sniper. "And we need to know how to stop it. This thing is the only one who knows how to do that."

"Oh," Usopp drawled. He lowered his Kabuto down. "I guess you're right."

"So, come on," Sanji said. He grabbed the creature by the back of his neck and hauled him towards the rest of their friends. "You have some explaining to do."

"Hey, Neo!" Zoro called when they got within fifteen yards of their friends. "We have a present for you!"

Neo looked at the swordsman then down at the creature in Sanji's hold. Her anger started to flare back up.

"There. On the ground," Sanji said pushing the creature down in front of Neo. "And don't you dare even think about thinking about attack her. If you do, you won't even get a half of an inch closer to her."

Zoro smirked devilishly while pointing two of his swords at the creature's neck. Franky held out his fist in his own preparation to attack if needed. Brook also held out his sword while Usopp brought his Kabuto back out. Topaz summoned her fire crystals. Robin crossed her arms over her chest. Chopper shifted into his real reindeer form, he dug his hoof at the sand and lowered his horns to ram the creature if he needed. Bepo snarled and bared his claws while those without powers took on defensive stances. Luffy cracked his knuckles before crossing his arms over his chest. He stood over Neo with a protective aura that just dared the creature to attack.

Neo's eyes turned sharp with anger as she stared at the thing before her. The wind picked back up as dark clouds blew over the island. Sharp clasp of thunder boomed while lighting danced in and out of the dark clouds. She took a deep breath to calm herself. No matter how much she wanted to strike out at this creature, she knew she couldn't. They needed information from it. So she dissipated her storm and summoned her crystals instead. Pointing them all at the creature's face, she demanded, "Tell us _everything_ you know."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that," the creature said. It lifted its gaze to Neo and smiled darkly at her. Its purple aura engulfed its body. "It's a shame. I really wanted to see how this would turn out."

"What do you mea-" Before Sanji could finish his question Bepo interrupted him with an ear piercing shriek.

"It's coming off!" Bepo cried.

"What is?" Shachi asked as they all turned their eyes to the bear. They all gasped when the sea prism chain unwrapped itself from Law's wrist and lifted up into the air. "What the heck?!"

…

Sanji's eyebrow twitched. Mixed in with Law's aura was another aura. It turned the aura around the sea prism stone chains purple. He watched as the chains lifted. As it did, the auras disappeared from it. He narrowed his eyebrows with a deep, concentrated frown.

…

"Grab it!" Tero hissed. He, Bepo, Shachi, and Nami all grabbed onto the chain. "What the heck?!"

"How is this possible?!" Nami demanded.

"I don't know!" Shachi replied. Then, before anyone else could say anything, the chains went flying towards the ocean. It shook off the pirates before flinging itself farther out into the ocean.

…

"What just happened?! What did you do?!" Luffy demanded. He reached out to grab the creature, but before he could get his fingers around the creature's neck, the creature's head was severed from its shoulders. Everyone gasped. Neo gagged at the gruesome display and closed her eyes.

"Everyone! Get back!" Penguin screamed. He grabbed Neo and jumped away. They all jumped away just before Law's aura flared up and out, barely missing being killed by the man's aura.

"No!" Neo cried at being taken away from Law and from the pain that shot through their bodies at a stronger force than before. She struggled to get out of Penguin's arms while reaching back for Law. "Let me go! I have to be with him!"

"I'm sorry, Neo," Penguin said. He tightened his hold on her before landing. He turned his eyes back to his captain. Law looked even more menacing than before.

"Release me!" Neo screamed before slipping into the wind stream and out of Penguin's hold.

"Neo!" Penguin cried. He tried to grab for her, despite knowing it wasn't possible to grab air.

…

Law grabbed his sword and stood up. He released his Room when Neo reappeared about thirty yards in front of him. He turned his black and blue slit eyes to her but paused. It was obvious he wanted to attack. It was also obvious that he was having an internal battle on whether or not he was going to do that. He'd take a step towards her, before taking that step back. His aura flared up and struck out to lash at anything it could hit before pulling back into a dim wave.

"It's okay, Law," Neo said. She started walking towards him. "Come here. Let me help you."

Law reached out his sword free hand and took a step closer to her.

"That's right. Come here," Neo said. Tears pooled in her eyes before trailing down her cheeks. "Come back to me."

Law took another step. His aura flared up again. He clenched a hold of his sword and charged for her.

…

"No!" Luffy cried out as he, Sanji, Zoro, and Penguin bolted forward.

"Stop! He's going to cut you up!" Usopp cried. "With both his sword and his aura!"

…

"Crap! What is that girl doing now?!" Tero demanded when he saw Neo move back towards Law.

"Well, she stopped him before," Nami said, swimming closer to the shore.

"That doesn't mean she'll do it again," Tero hissed.

"You don't have to be such a jerk!" Nami snapped.

"Ah! The captain's attacking!" Bepo wailed when Law rushed forward.

"See?!" Tero said.

"We have to get back to shore!" Shachi said. He swam a little harder, but felt like he was getting nowhere. He felt like the ocean was trying to keep them in it. He cursed out loud and tried to swim even harder.

…

"Neo! Move!" Chopper cried out.

…

"I won't!" Neo shouted back. She held her ground. She didn't even blink or flinch when Law was mere seconds from either running into her, or slicing her up. But much to everyone surprise, and relief, Law warped. She turned around just in time to see him appear behind her and charge for their friends. "Law! Stop!"

Summoning her crystals again, she lifted him up into the air with the intent of dumping him into the ocean. But he warped back to the beach before she could. She wrapped him up with vines and he warped again. Flaring up fire crystals, she tried to slow him down, but he easily dodged around them. She growled in frustration. There was just no way to stop him without having to turn her full abilities on to him. Her heart stopped. Her breath hitched in her throat. Her vision and stomach spun at the thought of what she was about to do.

The hot needles from their shard pain were nothing compared to the pain she was feeling for having to hurt the one person she loved most. But she didn't have a choice. She summoned over a hundred of each of her crystals. Pulling them all close to her, she prepared herself to use the most powerful of all her attacks. Her crystals began to liquefy. They spread over her skin just as someone called out, "Summoner's Call! Chains of Naturae! Bind this one!"

Everyone paused and started in shock and disbelief as glowing red chains flew down to Law. They wrapped around the out of control pirate's wrists, ankles, waist, and neck just before two strangers dropped down from the sky. One of them was surrounded in a red aura similar to Law's and the other in an orange aura.

…

"What just happened?" Usopp asked.

"Are those auras like the captain's?" Basil questioned.

"Are they an enemy?" Brook asked. He glanced at his friends. "Should we be worried?"

"I dunno," Franky replied. "On one hand, he did stop Trafalgar from attacking. On the other hand, that creature was bad news. These two could be just as bad news as it was."

…

"Dang!" the orange aura man cried out. He scratched his blonde hair in disbelief as he stared at Law. "He's insanely strong!"

"I know." The red aura, black haired, one nodded. "We're going to have to release the shock. Do you have the orb?"

"Right here," the orange aura said flipping something into the air then grabbing it again.

"Stop fooling around, Bao!" the red aura one snapped.

"Sorry, Elek," Bao replied while scrunching up his nose. "We've been traveling far too much. I'm tired. Let's just get this over with and go home already."

"Fine," Elek huffed while turning his attention back to Law. "Shock of Naturae! Release!"

Law and Neo cried out when a powerful shock released from the chains.

"What the heck?!" Bao asked. His eyes whipped to Neo just as she crumbled to the ground. "Why is _she_ hurting?!"

"Stop it! What are you doing to them?!" Penguin demanded. He ran over to Elek and threw a punch at him.

Elek easily dodged the punch. He grabbed Penguin's wrist and twisted his arm around his back. He asked, "Who are you people? Why is that girl in pain? This should only be hurting the one with the aura."

"That's none of your business!" Penguin hissed. "Just let them go!"

"I'm afraid we can't do that," Elek replied.

"The heck you can't!" Luffy growled as he and the others charged at the two intruders.

"Release them! Right this second!" Sanji demanded.

Bao whistle then said, "They're totally ticked off."

"We don't have time for this," Elek said between his gritted teeth.

"Let's just chain them," Bao said while putting his hands behind his head.

"Looks like we have no choice," Elek said as he carefully eyes the Devil Fruit users of the group. He pushed Penguin away from him. "Some of these are Devil Fruit users. Go ahead."

"Right." Bao nodded. "Chains of Naturae! Bind All Save for the Girl!"

The pirates gasped. Their attacks halted when glowing orange chains bound them in the same way they bound Law.

"What the heck?! Let me go!" Luffy growled. He tried to pull free of the chains, but wasn't able too.

Ignoring more demands from the pirates, Elek frowned at Bao. He asked, "And why didn't you bind the girl?"

"She's not going to be any trouble," Bao replied. "Besides, she's cute."

Elek rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Law. Stroking his chin in thought before saying, "Put the orb on him. I believe he is secure enough."

"Right." Bao went to toss the orb again, but stopped when Elek shot him a sharp glare. Chuckling nervously, he walked closer to Law.

"N-no," Neo said, struggling to push up on her arms. "Leave him alone."

"Don't worry," Bao replied to her with a smile. He proceeded to walk towards Law. "This'll be over soon."

"Stay away from him!" Neo demanded. Her forgotten anger flared up inside of her chest again. She glared at the man approaching her love while she forced herself back to her feet. "Stay away!"

…

Elek looked up when thunder rumbled. He narrowed his eyebrows. _It's those clouds again. So, she is the one who's doing that. Just as I suspected, she's one of_ _them_ _._

…

Bao whistled to himself but stopped when Law's aura struck out at him. He jumped back with a shriek. "Hey! Elek! He's still able to use his aura!"

"Really? He is far more powerful than the others," Elek said with a genuine shocked and impressed expression.

"Don't just stand there and look impressed! Turn up the shock more!" Bao demanded.

"Okay, chill. No need to shout," Elek replied calmly. "Shock of Naturae! Increase Ten Percent!"

Neo and Law cried out again when the shock from the chains increase. Law dropped to his knees. Neo fell back to the ground and curled into a ball while her storm vanished. Her head spun wildly with the painful cries of Law's voice and the pain that shot through them. Tilting her head, she glared at the two strangers causing them this pain. She wanted to rip their heads off for hurting them. Pulling her winds around her, she flew right at the one who was walking closer to Law.

"Bao! Look out!" Elek cried when he noticed Neo flying to the younger man.

Bao looked at Elek then at Neo. But it was too late. Neo wrapped her fist in her winds and struck the man in the cheek. She sent him flying several yards. Barely hearing the cheers and encouragement to hit the man again from her crew and friends, she turned her lighting flashing eyes to Elek then.

"Hold on now," Elek said. He took a step back. "We're not here to-"

Neo slipped into the wind stream. Appearing in front of Elek, she slammed her wind engulfed fist on him, also sending him flying several yards. More cheers came from the pirates, but she didn't hear them. She just turned and stalked towards the man she just hit. When he picked himself up off the ground, she wrapped vines around him. She lifted him up to her face and hissed, " _Let! Law! Go!_ _Now!_ "

Elek swallowed at the storm brewing in her eyes. He said, "I can't do that right now."

"Stop it!" Neo demanded through her clenched teeth. The wind around them picked up, blowing her hair over her face, but she didn't stop it. More thunder cracked above them, making most of the pirates jump and question if she was in control or not. Waves crashed on the shores, flora on the island grew large and snapped wildly, as the fire in the town flared up causing mass confusion for the townspeople. "You're hurting him! Stop it right now!"

"I'm sorry. But this has to be done. If his power isn't contained, right this second, he's going to kill everyone here," Elek said again with controlled calmness. He held her gaze, hoping she could see he was speaking the truth and trust him.

"Hey! Let him go!" Bao demanded while running over to them. "He hasn't-"

"Bao, stop!" Elek ordered when he caught Neo's crystals going after his friend from the corner of his eye. He felt relief when the young man did as he was told. "She's not going to hurt us. She's just scared and confused."

"Scared and confused?" Bao asked. He looked around at the seemingly out of controlled nature. "Wait a second. Aren't these crystals…?"

"That's right, Bao," Elek said. A smile came to his lips with he spoke his next words. "This young woman is an Elemental royal."

Neo's eyes widened and her storm died down in complete shock from the man's words. She opened her mouth to question him, but no words would form on her lips.

Elek, knowing what she was going to asked, answered her since her voice wasn't working. He said, "That's right, Princess. I know of your people. In fact, some of them are living on our home island of Zion."

…

"Did I just hear him correctly?!" Topaz gasped.

"He knows about you Elementals?!" Sanji asked. He, everyone, stared in shock at the man's words they somehow managed to hear over the fading sounds of Neo's storm.

"A-and he knows Neo is their princess?!" Penguin stuttered. His eyes bounced between the two strangers. His head spinning with this knowledge.

…

"I don't expect you to instantly trust us, Princess," Elek said. "But it's important that you let us continue with our work here."

"Why?!" Neo demanded after her voice came back at the thought of Law getting hurt more. "What are you doing to him?! Why does it hurt so much?!"

"I apologize for harming you both," Elek replied. "I assure you we take no pleasure in doing this. The shock that he, uh, you two feel, suppresses his Summoner's aura and powers. We have to do this so we can get close enough to put that orb on his forehead."

"What does the orb do?!" Neo tightened her vines on his body. "Will it hurt him more?!"

"No, Princess," Elek replied, showing no effect of being squeezed by her vines. "It will help him until he can be trained properly in how to control this power. Please, let us…please, just place it on his forehead. Once there half of the orb will enter into his skin, but it won't hurt him. It'll, more or less, turn into a form of mist. This mist will spread out in his body and pull the aura into the orb. This will contain his power. He'll no longer be in pain from the aura. And I'll release the chains from him once this is done."

Neo kneaded her eyebrows. She studied the man's deep blue eyes as carefully as she could. She noticed his eyes had a calming effect to them. She also noticed they held a lot of wisdom and…and something else, something that reminded her of an eagle. Her eyebrow twitched. She blinked and refocused on his eyes. She thought she was imagining it, but she wasn't. This man, somehow, felt like he had an eagle inside of him. But it wasn't like a Devil Fruit user. It was something else. She kneaded her eyebrows and looked deeper into his eyes.

Knowing what she was looking for, Elek coaxed her softly. He said," It's okay, Princess. You can trust me. I know of your people. I would never do anything to hurt them. And that includes there princess. That includes _you_."

"Release my friends," Neo ordered.

"Very well," Elek agreed. "Chains of Naturae. Release all but for the Summoner."

Neo released a breath when she heard her friends' cries of relief for being freed of their chains. She didn't want to trust this man. But she couldn't help but feel he was telling the truth. Plus he had released most of her friends without protest or question. She knew he was telling the truth. She released him and her fury.

He straightened out his shirt while keeping his eyes locked to hers. He nodded. "Go ahead. All you have to do is place the orb on his forehead. That's it. Bao, give her the orb."

"I can't," Bao replied.

"Bao," Elek warned, but didn't remove his eye contact from Neo.

"No, I mean I dropped it when she hit me," Bao replied. He walked over to Elek and Neo, but paused when Neo pointed fire crystals at him. "Whoa, whoa. I meant no harm."

"Just stay there, Bao," Elek said. "If you would just take the time to notice, you'd see she has some trust issues."

"I'm started to notice that," Bao said, taking a couple steps back from the flickering flames.

"Go on now, Princess," Elek said.

Neo took a half step turn away from them. She wanted to keep her eyes on them, but knew she couldn't. She had to go to Law. "Topaz, guard them."

"Aye," Topaz replied firmly. She summoned her fire crystals and encircled the two men with them.

"Hey, take it easy," Bao said, wanting to take a step back but had nowhere to go without getting closer to the fire. "Those are hot."

"Just relax, Bao," Elek said, crossing his arms over his chest. "They need to know they can trust us."

"Sometimes you are far too relaxed." Bao pouted.

"You are too young," Elek replied. "Such impatience will get you killed one day. I've told you that time and time again."

"Yeah, yeah. I know, _daddy_ ," Bao mocked.

Elek frowned at the young man, but didn't reply.

…

Neo waited until Topaz had the two men securely surrounded with her fire crystals to finally turned away from them and walk over to Law. Looking down, she easily located the crystal clear orb laying discarded on the sand when the sun reflected off of it. She noticed she never would have found it if it wasn't for the sun. A brief wonder if it was designed like that on purpose passed over her mind before she bent down and picked it up. She pinched the orb between her fingers and inspected it before looking over at Law. His head was hanging low. She cringed at their pain and could feel him on the verge of passing out from it. She looked back down at the orb. She hoped that her instincts were leading her wrong.

Swallowing through her dry throat, she stepped over to Law. She glanced, confusingly and hesitantly, at the orb then at Law. She heard Elek call over to her. He said, "Just touch it to his forehead. The orb will do the rest."

With a slow breath, Neo knelt down in front of Law. She reached for his chin and tilted his eyes to hers. She cringed again at the hollow look in Law's strange black and blue slit eyes. Forcing herself not to think about how he didn't look like her Law, she brought the orb up to his forehead. Touching the orb to his skin, a soft shimmer came from the orb before it moved closer to him on its own. She watched anxiously as the orb absorbed into his skin. Instantly the blue aura around him faded and swirled around in the orb. Her eyes shot to Law's just as he closed his eyes. Hesitantly, she spoke his name, "Law?"

"Hn?" Law reopened his eyes, his beautiful steel eyes that she had come to be so familiar with and love so much, and looked at her. "Hey, love. Sorry…I worried you."

"Law!" Tears spilled over eyelids as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into her. She summoned her solar crystal again and engulfed them both in its glow. "Law…"

Law tugged on his arms, desperate to hold her. He growled at the restrains keeping him from doing that. A flash of murder, directed at the person who did this to him, ran through his mind just before he felt the chains fall away from him. Not giving it another thought, for now, he wrapped his arms around her, firmly tucking her into him as much as he could while she cried and clung to him harder.

…

 **Author's Notes: Sorry this chapter came out terrible. I hit a writing funk then this chapter just didn't want to be written.** ***sigh* Maybe I can fit it at some point. Also, name change for the story if ya didn't notice.**


	3. Summoners

**WARNING: Some M rated content.**

Summoners

"Law," Neo said while nuzzling into his neck. Her tears dampening his skin as she clung to him, but neither of them cared. "I was so scared. You were so distant from me. I couldn't feel you at all. I didn't like it."

"Shh. I know. I'm so sorry I put you through that," Law said. He rubbed his hand over her back in soothing strokes while tightening his hold on her trembling body. "It's okay, love. We're okay now. I'm here. I've got you."

"Are you okay, Captain?" Penguin asked, kneeling down beside the two. He placed his hand on Neo's shoulder, but kept his eyes on Law. "You had us worried there for a minute."

Law looked at the man who was now kneeling beside him. He then let his eyes run over the rest of his crew and the Straw Hats. They all were staring back at him, waiting for his replied. They all looked to still be in one piece, but a huge amount of guilt still hammered into him over this whole ordeal. He didn't mean to attack and hurt any of them.

"Law, it's okay. Nothing that's happened was your fault. No one's going to blame you," Neo whispered to him when she felt his guilt passing to her. She stroked the tips of her fingers on the ends of his hair, lulling him into a light trance so he wouldn't be so stressed out over this. "Don't be upset with yourself. We all still love you. Please, tell them you're okay. Please?"

"Yes, Penguin," Law then replied on her soft command. "I'm a bit tired and worn out, but I'll be okay. I'm sorry about attacking you. How are your injuries?"

"No worries, Cap," Basil said. He held up his right arm and flexed it. "It was all superficial. Lil Lady healed us up nicely."

"I noticed," Law said with a frown. He glanced over at the two new men still being confined by Topaz's fire. His anger flared up when his eyes landed on the one who bound him with chains and kept him from holding Neo.

"Law, they know I'm an Elemental and a royal," Neo said, causing him to flinch.

"What?" Law's voice was low, dark, and full of worry. He tightened his hold on her in a very possessive way while his eyes drilled into Elek and Bao, studying them, wondering about them.

"I don't what they are. The one with the black hair…there's an eagle somehow present within him," Neo said, pressing her eyes into Law's neck. She focused her thoughts on the man with the eagle, the one who was calm, looked her in the eye, and trusted her not to hurt him or his friend. She felt the eagle calling out to her, telling her that Elek was a good man. And animals she has always been able to trust. "I know they stopped you from being in pain…and I'm glad you aren't hurting anymore. It's just…I'm not sure about them just yet. I think we can trust Elek. His eagle is speaking to me. He's saying that Elek is honorable, but I'm just not sure. I'm sorry. I'm just a bit confused right now. I was so scared that something very bad was going to happen to you. I'm not making any sense."

"It's all right, Neo. Just breath. You can sort out your feelings later when you're more calm." Law nodded, slowly. He turned his eyes to Elek and Bao, debating for a moment whether or not he wanted Topaz to release them. He had no reason to doubt Neo's instincts. If she trusted Elek, even if it was shaky at the moment, he had no reason to not trust him. And the strangers did, if not in the best of ways, stopped him and that crazy power from killing everyone on this island. He decided to give them the benefit of the doubt, for now, and let them go. He said, "Topaz, release them."

Both crews tensed. They looked at Law and Neo before looking at Topaz.

Topaz felt everyone's eyes on her as she stared at her captain and Neo. Hesitantly, she banished her crystals and fire, releasing her captives with an unsure, "Aye, Captain."

"Ah, that's much better," Bao said when the fire and crystals faded away from them. He walked towards the pirates, but halted when Neo yelled at him. "We really need to tal-"

"Stay away!" Neo hissed when she sensed the man coming closer. She pulled her eyes from Law's neck and glared at the strange man. Her glare faltered when she noticed this guy also had an animal inside of him. She retained her glare and looked at each of the men. "Why do you feel like a cheetah?! And _you_ , you feel like an eagle! What's going on?!"

"That's because we have animal guardians," Bao replied while resuming his trek towards the pirates.

"Stay away!" Neo hissed again. She summoned her crystals and encircled her and her family. Fresh tears freely streamed down her cheeks while she tightened her hold on Law. The pirates gathered closer to Neo and Law. Their harsh, death filled glares, forced the young man to take a couple steps back.

"Bao," Elek said with an exasperated sigh. "I told you she has trust issues. You're being impatient again."

"But we're not going to hurt anyone here," Bao replied. "Look, Miss, your brother is safe. We-"

"He's not my brother! He's my husband!" Neo screamed.

"What?! Are you serious?!" Bao blinked rapidly. His eyes ran over Neo's face and body, examining ever inch of her. "But you're just a child!"

"I'm _not_ a child! I'm twenty two!" Neo snapped.

"Stop upsetting her," Sanji growled while taking a dark step forward with Bepo.

Bepo bared his fangs at Bao. "Don't worry, Neo. We won't let him get any closer to you and the captain. I'll bite his head off if he tries it again."

"I didn't mean to upset her!" Bao said. He held up his hands in an 'I surrender' fashion and took a couple steps back. "I'm not looking for a fight here!"

"You've been told she had trust issues, yet you keep trying to come close to her," Basil said as he flexed his muscles in an intimidating way. He smirked when Bao eyed him and the rest of the pirates cautiously when their bodies took on defensive positions and seemed to get bigger. "Sounds like you're looking to get punched in the face to me."

Bao rolled his eyes. He put his hands on his hips and said, "I won't be intimidated by any of you. I'm a Summoner of Zion. We have powers beyond your imagination. There's nothing you could do to stop me if I did decide to attack you all."

"You want to test that theory?" Zoro asked. He tightened his hold on his swords with a dark smirk.

"Yeah!" Luffy screamed, punching his fist into his hand. "You've already upset Neo far to much today! I won't tolerate you upsetting her anymore! If you want to fight, then bring it on!"

"We'll be more than glad to take you on!" Shachi added while cracking his knuckles.

"Law," Neo whimpered. She tightened her hold back on him and tucked her face back into his neck. She didn't want this. She didn't want her crew, her friends, her family, to fight anyone right now.

"Enough," Law commanded to his crew and the Straw Hats. He knew what she really wanted and that this was going to far. He moved his hand from her back to her hair and stroked her soft tresses a few times. "I have no idea what's going on here, but I won't have anymore fighting today. Neo has been upset enough."

"But we need t-" Bao started.

"No!" Law hissed. Pushing through his tired, sore body, he picked Neo up. Struggling to stand up with her, Neo summoned her wind crystals and lifted them both into the air so he wouldn't put his own body under anymore stress. "There will be no more discussion on this today. Neo and I are returning to the sub. We'll talk about this _tomorrow_."

"But-" Bao started again.

"Enough, Bao," Elek said. He looked at the younger man then looked at the pirate captain. "I understand. You all have had a stressful day. We'll talk about this tomorrow then."

"Elek!" Bao protested.

"Bao, there's no point in trying to discuss this matter when everyone's on edge. It'll only make things worse. This is a subject that we need to discuss with calm, clear heads," Elek said. He crossed his arms over his broad chest. "We can wait until tomorrow. And we will wait."

"Fine," Bao sighed.

Law nodded at Elek when the man nodded at him in acceptance to the captain's words. He then turned back to his and the Straw Hat crew when they walked closer to them. Keeping his voice low, he said, "Listen up. I don't want anyone to mention to these two that Neo's pregnant or anything about our bond. At least, not until we know for sure what we're dealing with here. And I don't want them anywhere near the sub. It'll only upset Neo more if they were to enter without her permission."

"Aye aye, Captain," the Heart Pirates said with a firm nod.

"We'll keep quiet as well," Sanji said, pulling his cigarette from his lips. "You two go on inside and relax for a while. And don't worry about those two guys. If they stay on the beach with us, Basil and I will cook for them."

"Yeah, we'll handle them from here. Would you like us to bring you some supper later? We're still going to cook outside tonight since that's what everyone is expecting. I think it would be best for Neo too if the crew remains outside," Basil said. He looked at Neo who was still firmly snuggling against Law.

"No," Law replied, his eyes dropping to the blue haired woman in his arms. "I'll make something for us when Neo feels like eating."

"The crew should be heading back here soon," Bepo said, his eyes running over the land in the direction of the town.

"There's no way they'll proceed with whatever activities they were doing once they realize that storm was caused by Neo," Shachi said.

"We'll inform them of what's happened here and tell them we're staying outside to give you two space for a while," Penguin said. He reached out and rubbed his hand on Neo's lower back. He smiled at her when she turned her eyes to him before looking down at her stomach. "You three get some rest."

"We'll take care of everything from here," Topaz said. She looked at her princess then over at the two strangers. Her eyes lingered on the older one before she forced herself to bring her eyes back to her captain and princess. She shifted her weight onto her left leg and crossed her arms. "Do we have any other orders?"

"No. You all are free to do whatever you please for the rest of the day," Law said to his crew. He then glanced over at the Straw Hats. When they didn't say anything, he nodded to them before Neo flew them to the sub.

"I hope she didn't get put under to much stress today," Chopper said as he watched Neo and Law head for their sub.

"I'm sure she's fine," Penguin said, carefully checking to make sure there was enough distance between themselves and these two new guys. The two new guys were just standing there, waiting to see what happened next. "The captain will be sure to check on the baby before they do anything else. You know how cautious he is with Neo and their baby."

"Yeah." Chopper nodded.

"So what do we do with this thing?" Zoro asked, poking the creature's body with his sword.

"Gross! Don't do that, Zoro!" Nami snapped.

"Huh? Why not? It's dead," Zoro replied, poking it again.

"So not the point. It's creepy and morbid," Nami said with a sweat drop on her forehead. She then looked over at the two strangers. "Hey! Do something about this thing! It's giving me the creeps!"

"Don't worry, Miss," Elek said. "It'll disappear in a second or two."

"Disappear?" Brook asked.

"Wow! So cool! It vanished!" Luffy then cried out. The pirates all turned their eyes to the creature just as it disappeared.

"What the heck?" Franky asked. He pushed up his sunglasses to make sure he wasn't seeing anything. "Did that thing really just disappear?"

"Why did it do that?" Usopp asked.

"I thought we weren't talking about this until tomorrow," Bao said with a sarcastic smirk.

"You jerk. We were just asking you a simple question," Sanji said with an annoyed frown.

"I didn't set the rules here, bud," Bao snapped back. "You pirates did."

"How did you know we were pirates? Did you see our bounty posters?" Luffy asked. He squatted down to where the creature us to be and pointed at the sandy ground. "And what was that thing?"

"The pirate flags on your ship? Duh!" Bao retorted.

"Your attitude is becoming very annoying," Basil said with a deep frown.

"Not again," Elek said with a sigh. "Bao, do you really have to do this?"  
"What? They started it," Bao replied. He sighed in defeat when Elek gave him a sharp glare. He shoved his hands into his the pockets of his jeans. "Fine. That creature was just a summons. That's why it disappeared. Its job was finished so there was no need for it to stick around."

"A summons?" Brook asked.

"We'll explain everything in more detailed later," Elek said taking a glance at the sub. When he felt the pirates' guards tighten he looked back at them. "I promise we are not here to harm anyone. That creature was just summoned to find a certain person. And that person was, uh…"

"The captain's name is Trafalgar Law," Penguin replied.

"Right." Elek nodded. "I believe I've seen his wanted poster before. The name sounds very familiar, but I never could remember how his last name was pronounced. Anyway, now that your captain's power has been released, he'll need to train to get it under control."

"What kind of power does he have?" Bepo asked. "Is it dangerous?"

"It can be if he doesn't get the proper training," Elek said. "As I'm sure you all noticed."

"What exactly does he have to do?" Nami asked.

"Hey! Guys!" a Heart Pirate called out. The group turned to see the missing Heart Pirates all running towards him like it was suggested they would.

"Never mind all of that for now," Sanji said pulling his cigarette from his lips. "I'm sure you two don't want to have to go over all of this twice. We'll wait until tomorrow to hear the answers to all of our questions. Right now, we need to inform the rest of our friends on what's happened here today. I'm sure they're all worried after seeing Neo's storm like that."

The Heart Pirates nodded before waiting for the rest of their crew to join them on the beach. Once the missing Heart Pirates had gathered, they quickly informed them on everything that happened. The pirates then sent sharp glares over at Elek and Bao.

"Good grief! What's wrong with you people?! Why do you keep glaring at us like that?! This isn't our fault! And we're sorry that we hurt your precious captain and Neo!" Bao cried with exasperation, throwing his hands up in the air as he shouted at them.

"Sure it wasn't your fault. You just kept trying to come closer to Neo when she said for you to stay way," Penguin grumbled.

"I said I was sorry!" Bao snapped.

"Look, we are just really protective of Neo. We have our reason for that, but we can't tell you what they are," Topaz said, breaking in before the fight got out of hand. She walked closer to Elek and Bao. Looking at the older man as she spoke. "Why don't we just stop talking completely about everything that's happened here? It's clearly going to do nothing but cause fights between us."

"I think that's a good idea," Elek said with a smile for the Elemental woman.

Sanji eyed the Elemental and Summoner carefully. The looks that were being exchanged between them suggested to him that they could get along just fine. And he had a feeling that was going to cause some trouble in itself. With sigh and pushing those thoughts out of his head for now, he said, "Then let's change the subject. Are you two going to stay out here on the beach or go into the town for a hotel?"

"We're going to stay out here on the beach," Elek replied, pulling his eyes from Topaz for a second to look at the blonde cook before returning his eyes to her.

"What?! Again?!" Bao shrieked.

"Don't like the outdoors?" Basil asked with a cheeky smirk. He ran his eyes over Bao's body. To him, the younger man didn't look like he was one for camping outdoors very much, if at all. The young man had a very slender body in comparison to himself or Elek and looked like he hadn't worked a day in his life. But he figured that was just a deception. He saw how fast Bao ran earlier. No one with that kind of speed would stay inside all of the time. And he knew that animals with fast speed needed a lot of food for fuel. There was definitely more to these two Summoners than they knew.

"Shut up. I'm just sick of the outdoors," Bao grumbled. "We've been sleeping outside for days."

"How come?" Nami asked.

"We've been chasing after that creature for seven months," Bao replied.

"You've been after that thing for seven months?" Brook asked. "Why have you been after it for so long? Was it stronger than we realize?"

"It was strong, but it was also slippery," Bao explained. "Once it realized its previous targets weren't the one it was looking for, it would quickly move on leaving us to clean up its mess. Then we'd have to try and find it again. I'm just ready to go home."

"I guess that accounts for your snappiness and inability to be a proper young man," Basil said.

"That's rich coming from a pirate!" Bao snapped.

"You got a problem with pirates?!" Basil demanded.

"Well, it looks like we're all not meant to get along," Robin said with a smile.

"That's nothing to smile about!" Usopp snapped.

…

Once close enough to the sub, Law formed his Room and warped them inside of the medbay immediately. Neo was going to ask him what they were doing in here, but stopped when he sat her down on the bed near the ultrasound machine. Her heart skipped a beat with worry. "Do you…do you think something happened to our baby? Did I get too stressed out? Did I hurt our baby?"

"Calm down, love. I just want to be sure," Law replied, running a hand over her hair. He placed his lips on her forehead while turning the machine on. "Don't get upset. This is just a precaution. I was the one taking the hit. You were just feeling it and got stressed out too much for my liking. Just roll up your shirt, lay back, and relax now, love."

"Okay." Neo nodded. She rolled up her shirt for him and leaned back on the pillow, trying to relax for him like he wanted. Her eyes automatically went to the screen as she watched for the picture of their baby to appear on it despite it not being there yet.

Once the machine was warmed up, Law grabbed the probe and the gel. He coating the probe with the gel then placed the probe on Neo's stomach. His body posture became very tense, his eyebrows kneaded as he stared at the screen in front of him. His intense eyes roamed over every inch of the picture before him several times, scrutinizing every detail as closely as he could. Several minutes later, his body began to relax when he finally came to the conclusion that nothing was wrong. With a soft sigh, he said, "Our baby's fine."

"That's good," Neo said with a sigh of her own. Her eyes then drifted off their baby and onto Law. She studied his eyes. His steel orbs were fill with worry and concern over what he had done. She could easily feel how upset he still was about everything that happened, even without their bond. "Law, it wasn't your fault. It's under control now."

"That still doesn't make it any easier," Law replied. He pulled the probe from her and wiped it. Placing the probe back into its holder, he turned to wipe the gel off Neo.

Neo placed her hand over his hand when he was wiping down her stomach. She said, "Hey, let's take a bath together. I think we both could use a nice, relaxing soak in some hot water."

"All right," Law replied, looking into her eyes. "But this one's on me."

"We're not going to use up one of my promised baths?" Neo asked, tilting her head.

"No, I really want this one to be on me," Law replied. He finished cleaning her stomach off then took her chin in his fingers and pecked her lips. He smiled when he felt her lips curl into a smile of their own.

"Really?" Neo asked against his lips.

"Really," Law replied back. He turned the machine off before slipping his arms under her body. He lifted her up then carried her out of the room.

"After what you've been through today you really shouldn't be carrying me," Neo said as she fiddled with the ends of his hair.

"I'll do whatever I please," Law replied with a smirk.

"I hope that includes me," Neo said taking Law's earlobe and earrings into her mouth. She sucked and licked his ear, smiling when she felt his heartbeat skip at her teasing.

"Settle down now," Law ordered. "Bath first then sex."

"Oh? You want to get cleaned up just to get dirty again?" Neo asked with a light chuckle while she ran her fingertips over his neck and chin.

"Maybe," Law replied just as he formed his Room again and warped them into their bathroom.

"Impatient," Neo noted, sucking his ear again.

"Perhaps," Law replied before placing her feet on the floor. He captured her lips while he placed his hands on her hips. Reaching for the front of her jeans, he unbuttoned the button before tugging the zipper down in a taunting manner. "But I can feel that you are too."

Neo hummed into his lips before slipping her tongue into his mouth. She ran her tongue all over, tasting every single inch of him while he moved his hands up to her tank top. She moaned into their kiss when he lifted her shirt up, purposefully stopping to massage her breasts before finally pulling her shirt off and tossing it expertly into the clothes hamper in the corner. She tilted her head when his lips crashed down on her neck. While he licked and sucked her soft flesh, she removed her jeans and underwear. She then glided her hands up Law's legs to his own button. She undid his jeans before she started to pull up his shirt just as his hands unhooked the clasp on her bra.

He released his hold on her loose bra to allow her to pull off his shirt, knocking off his hat in the process. His reflexes caused him to grab for it, but he was beaten by Neo using her wind crystals. He smiled at her quickness then leaned down and rewarded her for moving faster than him with a deep kiss while he brushed her bra the rest of the way off her arms.

Neo flew his hat to the sink counter before she summoned her water crystals over the tub to fill it up. She curled her thumbs into the waistband of his jeans and tugged them down. She let him take over when she got to his boots. Once they both were completely clothes free, Law took her hand, kissed it, then lead her over to the barely steaming bath. He stepped in first, mostly to check to make sure to water wasn't too hot despite trusting her control over her crystals, but also to help her step inside the tub despite her not needing it. She chuckled at his overprotectiveness of her as she stepped into the square tub. "You're so sweet and cute when you worry. You know I can handle this."

"Of course I know that, my love." Law smirked, pulling her close to his body and leaning back down to her lips. "And you love how protective I am of you."

"I sure do," Neo murmured against his lips. She kissed him before allowing him to sit down in the water and pull her in front of him. She leaned against his toned, tattooed chest while he ran his hands over the curves of her body. She moaned and leaned her head back against his shoulder when his hands traveled over her thighs. She moaned again when he brushed her hair away then brushed his lips over the soft flesh of her neck until he hit her soft spot. "I should be the one doing this to you."

Law chuckled against her skin. Kissing along her flesh, he worked his way up to her ear. Once he finally reached his destination, he run his warm tongue over ear, earning a pleasurable shiver from her, before whispering, "I'm not the one who's pregnant."

Neo giggled, filling the room with her bells and Law's stomach with flutters. "You are too. Our bond says so."

"I suppose it does." Law chuckled again. He nipped and nibbled at her ear while snaking his hands around her body to her baby bump. "But it's your body that is carrying our child. You're the one who needs to remain stress free. And I'm here to make sure you remain as stress free as possible. And I'm going to make that happen. So relax and enjoy this."

"Fine," Neo conceded with a low moan when Law moved down to her neck and attacked her soft spot with deep sucks and light nips. "But I'm helping you wash."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Law replied, running his hands back down her thighs then back up to her baby bump. He sighed with strong affection upon feeling the stomach that was harboring their child. He couldn't wait to see her holding their child in her arms. But for the moment, he couldn't wait any longer to have her. His entire body throbbed with anticipation and affection to this blue haired woman in his hold and with the thoughts of soon having her in the most intimate way possible.

Neo chuckled at his sexual desires running wildly through his head. "You really are impatient, aren't you? We just got in the bath."

"It's not my fault that the sight of your body turns me on," Law said before a hard suck on her neck. He knew a mark was going to be left there, but neither of them cared. Both often held love bites from each other on multiple places all over their bodies from their intimate moments. "Once we're out of this water, I'm going to make such love to you."

"Hm. And you said I shouldn't get worked up," Neo said as she ran her own hands over Law's legs. "You're purposefully trying to seduce me here."

"I said that you don't need to get stressed," Law corrected her. He rubbed his hands back up her sides until he got to her soft, supple breasts and worked them until he could feel her own arousal rising. "And you know perfectly well that our sex is not stressful at all. Remember how we did it back on the Sunny when we were traveling with the Straw Hats' to Dressrosa?"

"Indeed, I do. That was amazing," Neo replied. She curved her hands around Law's knees before trailing her right hand back down his thigh to his hip then across his stomach before finally reaching him.

Law released a guttural groan when she did finally reached him. She always knew exactly how to use that soft touch of hers. He pressed his lips to her shoulder before lightly pressing his teeth into her skin, which he never broke. He could never hurt her like that, especially in moments like this. He knew she could never hurt him either. Their lovemaking was always more gentle, caring, and always about love rather than wild and filled with lust and physical pleasure. He wanted her to know, to feel that he loved her in everything he did to and for her. Drawing blood, except for the enemies, never brought him any kind of pleasure or joy, especially when she was the one he was touching. He groan again at her gentle touch on him. His mind shorted out from any other thoughts except for taking her in every kind of sexual fantasy he could think of in the moment. "I don't think our bath is going to last much longer."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Neo said with a light bell filled giggle. She released and pulled away from him. Turning to face him, she straddled over his legs and wrapped her arms around his neck. She leaned into kiss him, but paused when the light glinted off the orb now present on his forehead. All the fears and anxiety from the day, and what the day's events might bring, came flooding back to her. Tears pressed against the back of her eyes as her body trembled. "Law…"

"Shh," Law cooed. He put his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. He rubbed her back soothingly while talking her back down to a calmer state. "It's all right."

"How can this be all right? That _thing_ hurt you. You lost control," Neo's voice cracked as she spoke. She bit her bottom lip. Her body trembled harder against Law's as she tightened her hold on him. "I was so scared. I couldn't reach you with our bond at all. It was like you weren't there at all."

"I know you were scared. It's over for now," Law said. He pressed his lips into her hair and held on tighter to her. "It'll be fine. Put this out of your mind for now. Let's get cleaned up. Then I'll get you to relax. Just like I did on the Straw Hats' ship. Would you like that?"

"I would. And I'm sorry." Neo pulled back from him. She stared down at his tattooed chest while he wiped away her tears. "You now I hate new things. And this new thing hurt us."

"Only because we weren't prepared for it," Law replied. "We will be next time."

"But what if I don't trust those two guys?" Neo asked, finally bringing her eyes to his.

"First of all we need to see what they want," Law said. He rubbed his hands over the curves of her body before letting them rest on her hips. "Then we'll go from there. But you know that you are far more important to me than anything. You will always come first to me. Okay?"

Neo nodded. A small smile formed on her lips when Law tickled her sides with his skillful fingers. She leaned forward and kissed him.

"Come on," Law said between their tender pecks. He scooped up a handful of water and poured it over her back before trailing his fingers down her spine. "Let's get this bath over with so we can move on to more fun and relaxing activities."

"Uh huh," Neo replied through their kisses. She pulled away from him just enough so she could scoop up water and wet his hair. With tender strokes and teases of their hands, the two lovers managed to, somehow, wash the day's events off themselves and climb out of the bath where things got more heated between them.

While Neo dried them off with her wind crystals, Law pulled her back to his body and kissed her deeply before warping them to their bed. The two exchanged a lingering smile of understanding and trust before Law leaned back in to her. He brushed his tongue over her lips, begging for entrance. When she parted her lips for him, he stroked his tongue over hers while parting her legs with his knee. He trailed kisses way from her lips to her neck while he slowly slid inside of her. He held back his desire to thrust faster when her lips called out his name in seductive bliss. Slowly rocking his hips, he slid in and out of her as his lips kissed over all of her soft flesh that he could reach in their current position.

Neo moaned in pleasure at the tender touches Law was giving her over her body. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, tangling her fingers into his black locks before wrapping her legs around his hips. Tugging him as close to her body as she could, she nuzzled her nose behind his ear before whispering seductively to him. "Hold still, my love. I want to feel you for a moment. You're just so warm. You know how much I like it."

With her fingers and words putting him into a helpless trance, he obeyed her. Pressing on to his forearms to keep the majority of his weight off her smaller body, he laid still. Letting her feel him as much as she wanted and until she was ready to move on. Summoning her earth crystals, she wrapped vines around him and rolled them over. Now straddling over him, she smirked down at him. He smirked back and said, "Hey, I'm suppose to be taking care of you while you relax."

"Oh, I am relaxed," Neo purred against his lips with a roll of her hips. "Now I'm going to relax you."

Law smirked. Both knew he liked being in control, but both knew he had no problem letting her take control when she felt like it. So he rested his head back on his pillow and allowed her to be in control, for a while. She pressed lips to his before trailing kisses across his cheek then down to his neck when she searched for his own soft spot. When she found it, Law gasped and grabbed onto her hips, pulling her as close to him as he possible could, causing her to rock herself against him. Liking the way that felt, he did it again.

"Hey. I'm suppose to be in control," Neo protested. She lifted up from his neck and gave him a playful glare. Her soft blue locks fell over her shoulders and tickled his chest as she forced herself to not look at the orb on his forehead. "Stop that. Don't make me punish you. Now sit still."

"Maybe I want you to punish me," Law replied. Backing up his words, he moved her hips again with his hands.

Neo growled at his disobedience, she summoned two earth crystals. She wrapped vines around his wrists and pulled his hands off of her hips. "There. Now you better-Uh! Oh! Geez, Law!"

Law smirked at her cute little idea of trying to keep him from disobeying her with just two of her crystals. She knew better than that. And he reminded her of that by bucking his hips repetitively against her. "What? You know better than to do that incorrectly. Now, let me go."

"Not going to happen," Neo replied, summoning two more earth crystals. She wrapped the vines around his ankles and held him tight enough so he couldn't buck her again. Leaning down, she brought her lips to his and murmured to him. "Now, be a good, obedient, little pirate and I might let you go to finish this when I'm done with you."

"I guess we'll see then," Law said, his smirk still present on his face. "Now, what did you have in mind?"

"Like you don't know." Neo smirked against his lips before going back to his neck. She worked her lips over every inch of his flesh, kissing, sucking, and licking his neck then down to his chest where she kissed over his tattoo while repetitively rolling and grinding into him before finally banishing her crystals.

Now free, Law wrapped his arms back around her and flipped her over to enact his own _punishment_ for trapping him incorrectly. He rocked in and out of her, purposefully hitting her spot again and again until she was screaming out his name in euphoric bliss. Once reaching their climaxes, he pecked her lips one last time before pulling the cover out from underneath her. Climbing under it, he waited for her to climb on top of him before covering them both and falling asleep in each others warm embrace.

…

Law sighed as he watched Neo from his spot against the bathroom doorframe. He had his arms and legs crossed while his eyes were locked onto her. She was pulling on his old yellow and black hoodie. He knew she favored that one over all his others clothes. It was the one she grew so accustom to seeing him in. But since he changed his style, she's taken to wear it a lot when she's feeling vulnerable. And she was definitely feeling vulnerable right now.

He let his eyes drift over to the dark blue curtain that covered the porthole. As his crew had said, they stayed outside the entire night. And, as far as he knew, none of them spoke about what happened the night before. It was only a few minutes ago, while they were finishing up breakfast, did Penguin come inside to inform him that Bao was getting annoyed with having to wait so long. Some of the crew, both the Hearts and Straw Hats, were also getting antsy with waiting. So he told his subordinate they would be dressed in a few minutes then be right out.

Law pulled his eyes back to Neo when he felt several questions swirling through her mind. He could feel she was trying her hardest not to get upset or think much about what was going on, but she was struggling with it. He knew she was really shaken up from what happened yesterday. And he knew with whatever Elek and Bao was going to tell them today was only going to upset her more. He just wish he knew exactly what they were going to say so he could prepare her for it like he usually did. But he didn't have a clue. For a split second, he thought about talking with Elek and Bao before hand. He quickly pushed that aside. There was no way Neo would let him out of her sight after yesterday, at least not until she knew what was going on and that they were still safe.

He lifted his fingers to the orb on his forehead. His let his fingertips wonder over the slightly warm and very smooth surface. He was grateful this thing had stopped him, but he couldn't help but wonder if it could do anything else. The only two things he knew was it stopped him and wasn't causing Neo anymore pain. He was starting to get anxious to know what was happening to him and if it was a permanent thing or not. He forced those thoughts away so he wouldn't cause Neo to feel rushed. He knew she needed to do this at her own pace. And he was going to let her do just that. Those other two strangers could just get impatient with them.

He pushed off the doorframe when Neo turned and walked over to him. Meeting halfway through the room, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders as she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. He placed a kiss into her hair while rubbing his hand on her back. Softly, he said, "It'll be okay. They're not going to hurt us or take me away from you. You know I won't let them."

Neo nodded before turning her eyes up to him. "I know. And we have both our crew and the Straw Hats with us. I'll try not to get upset."

"Good girl," Law replied. He kissed her forehead before speaking again. "Are you ready?"

"No. But I know we can't put this off forever," Neo said. Her eyes lifted to the orb on his head. The blue aura that had once surrounded him was still swirling inside of the orb. It looked like it was trying to find a way out of its prison. It made her shiver. She felt like the aura was somehow alive, like it wanted to devour Law for letting it be concealed inside of the orb in the first place. She also noticed, for the first time, that the edges of the aura were a dark blue than the rest. She wondered if it had been like that the entire time or if it was something new.

"You probably just didn't notice," Law's voice said.

"Huh?" Dropping her eyes to his, she relaxed her eyebrows, unaware that she was kneading them in the first place.

"You were thinking too hard on the aura," Law said. He tucked her hair behind her ear before brushing his thumb over her cheek. "The darker part was probably there to begin with. But we can ask if it's normal. That is, we can ask if we ever get outside."

"I'm sorry. I'm just scared and a bit confused," Neo replied. "I can't tell yet if we can trust them or not."

"I know." Law nodded. "And we're not going to find out if we keep staying in here."

"I know, I know." Neo drew in a breath and released it. "Let's go."

"Are you sure?" Law asked. "We can wait a few more minutes if you need it."

"If you give me a few more minutes, I'll never let us leave this sub until those people go away," Neo said with a small smirk.

"At least your humor is coming back." Law chuckled. With their arms still around each other, he guided her towards the door. He purposefully linger while they walked through the dark and quiet sub halls. He didn't use his Room until they got outside on the deck. Momentarily pausing to scan his eyes over the crews and two new people on the beach. They were all gathered at the fire pit that the crew surely had made last night. The pirates were on one side while the strangers were on the other. He wondered if the two strangers had stayed on the beach with them or went into town for a hotel instead. He pushed the thought away. It didn't matter at all. The only thing that mattered was keeping Neo safe, calm, and find out what was going on.

Forming his Room, Law warped them off the deck and onto the beach. He tightened his arm, and his presence, around Neo when he felt her body tremble against his. He could feel her guard set up on him with ever step they took. He paused when they were five yards from the rest of the group. He ran his eyes over them again, assessing the situation. No one looked too annoyed so they must be getting along, at least a little bit. They all looked a bit on edge and definitely ready to know what was going one. He was a bit surprised that Luffy wasn't being his typically loud self. He assumed the rubber man was too concerned over how whatever Elek and Bao was going to say was going to affect Neo. Luffy easily became more serious when Neo's safety was involved. He glanced down at Neo when he felt her counting all of their crew and the Straw Hats like she usually did when they had been in a fight. It was a habit of hers to make sure they were all there.

When he felt her relax that they were all counted for, he then proceeded to guide Neo farther into the group to sit down on one of the logs the crew had moved over for them. He couldn't help but notice that the fire had been put out. Usually when they built a fire like this they kept it burning until they left the island. He knew the reason it was out. They didn't want Neo to have anymore access to fight than she already had. Once they were positioned on the log, he looked to Elek and Bao.

Neo let her eyes flicker to Elek and Bao for a split second before looking down at the sand. She tucked herself into Law's side just as the two pirate crews took a few steps closer to them. She sensed Luffy moving right behind her. She could feel him crossing his arms over his chest. She knew just about everyone else was doing it to. They were communicating to the two new strangers that they weren't going to allow any harm to come to her. She tossed them a smiled from over her shoulder. "It's okay, everyone. I'm stable. And I want to know what's going on. I don't want this to hurt Law or anyone else."

"Then let's get on with it already," Bao said. He adjusted the collar of his jean jacket before leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "The display of force really isn't necessary."

"It's necessary until we know whether or not we can trust you," Penguin said with a deep frown.

"We saved your friend yesterday, did we?" Bao shot back.

The pirates tensed up. Those with weapons grabbed for them, but didn't pull them out yet.

"Enough!" Elek said before anyone else could speak. "We have no reason to be at each other's throats like this. We have a lot to talk about."

"Then get on with it," Zoro said, pushing his swords back into their sheaths. "You can start with what the heck that thing was and what it did to Trafalgar and Neo."

Elek nodded. Leaning forward, he pressed his elbows to his knees and laced his fingers together. He looked right at Neo and Law. "Like we told your friends last night, the creature that attacked you was a summons. A gargoyle like creature that was sent out to force people to become Summoners."

"Why would it do that?" Nami asked. "And how can it force someone to become a Summoner?"

"It was just doing what it was summoned for. It forces people to become Summoner's by shooting a piece of its aura into a person's body. There are two ways for a person to become a Summoner. The first way is in the way that happened to Trafalgar here. The second way, and the proper way, is to go to Zion and have the Zion Orbs penetrate you with their auras. Every human being on the planet can be a Summoner. You can look at it like Haki only you can't awaken it on your own," Bao replied.

"What do you mean by _the proper way_?!" Neo demanded, feeling suddenly alarmed. She narrowed her eyebrows and clenched a hold of Law's shirt. Her angry released a couple low rumbles of thunder above them.

 _'Easy, love.'_ Law tightened his arm around her. He narrowed his own eyebrows at the two Summoners and said, "Get on with it. You're upsetting her."

"Forgive Bao. He never thinks about what he says before he says it," Elek replied, giving Bao a sideway glance and earning a carefree shrug from the young man. "It's just, typically when someone wants to become one of our Summoners they come to our home island of Zion and do it the proper way. You all saw what happened when Trafalgar's aura was released. He lost control because he doesn't have his animal guardian with him."

"Animal guardian?" Neo asked. She carefully scanned her eyes over Elek and Bao. The men looked back at her, waiting patiently for her next question. "That's why you two feel like an eagle and cheetah?"

"It is." Elek nodded. "Large parts of our summons are nature based. And because of that, we are each given an animal guardian that helps keep the power under control. We are also able to become our animal guardian and use their strengths as humans."

"What do you mean by that?" Chopper asked. He moved closer to Neo. Sitting down beside her, he leaned against her leg.

"It's just as he said," Bao said. Everyone turned his eyes to him just as the young blonde man's body began to glow orange. They all gasped when his body shifted into a cheetah. The only difference from a regular cheetah and Bao's cheetah form was Bao's eye color remained the same jade color and he kept his orang aura around his body. He then shifted back into his human body and took off running.

"That's insane!" Nami gasped when Bao ran down the beach and back with two seconds.

"We can take on our animal guardian form or us their strengths in our human bodies," Bao replied before dropping back down onto the log.

"Does that mean you all are like super powerful?!" Usopp asked.

"Human beings with the powers of animals?" Franky said. "That does sound pretty super. Zoan users are proof of that."

"It might sound super but we're not as strong as you might thing," Elek said. "Our summons have their limits. Mostly a Summoner can hold a summon for about fifteen minutes. The longest a summon has ever lasted was thirty minutes. It really all depends on the person making the summon and how strong they are."

"So the stronger the person the long the summons?" Robin asked.

"Right." Elek nodded.

"How does the whole animal guardian work? Do you know what you'll get before you get it?" Topaz asked.

"No. No one ever knows what animal they'll get. And there's not a clear answer on why people get the animal guardian that they do. Some have theorized that there might be similarities between the human and the animal. And that that is why we're assigned the animal we have," Elek said. "It's the same with our auras. A lot of people believe that the color of our auras reflect our personalities and are represented by that color."

"That doesn't make any sense," Usopp said.

"Let see…you know how an artist uses color to represent a certain feel in a painting?" Elek asked.

"You mean like when a painter wants to make a depressing painting he uses a lot of blues and greys?" Usopp asked.

"Exactly. My aura is red. And red typically represents things like strength, power, determination, passion, desire, and love," Elek said.

"Red is also a color that is associated with energy, war, and danger," Robin pointed out. "You're a rather calm person to represent a color like that."

Elek nodded. "That's why a lot of people don't believe this to be a sure thing. While some people accurately represent their aura color and their guardian animal, others do not. It's the same thing with horoscopes."

"Can these auras have darker color on the edges?" Law asked. Neo tensed up at his question, but remained silent.

Elek nodded. "It usually shows up in the stronger Summoners. But it's normal."

"That's all well and good, but get to the important stuff. Like who summoned that thing?" Penguin asked. "What it wanted with the captain? What are we suppose to do now with the captain's new power?"

"Well we don't know who summoned the thing," Elek replied.

"What do you mean you don't know?!" Shachi demanded.

"All we know is someone is looking for someone strong enough to wield the Death Orb's power and become the Death Summoner," Elek said.

"Most likely it was just a kid looking for a good time or doing it on a dare," Bao added. "No one can use the Mortem Orb because it's been sealed away in Mount Zion and no one's strong enough to be a Fifth Level Summoner."

"Fifth Level Summoner?" Zoro asked.

"Technically there are five levels to the Summoner's powers," Elek explained. He held up his right hand. His red glow appeared around it. The pirates started at the glow as it shifted into a sword. Just then Bao grabbed a stick off the ground and tossed it into the air. Elek then pointed the sword towards the falling stick. A blast of aura shot out, hitting the stick and shattering one end. He then slicked the rest of the stick into several pieces before it fell to the ground.

"Wow! That was so cool!" Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp exclaimed.

Elek continued, "Five levels mean there are five orbs that Summoners call upon their powers from. The Aurae Orb, the Naturae Orb, the Animabilis Orb, the Astral Orb, and the Mortem Orb. All Summoners can have the potential to use all five of the orbs, but most prefer to stick with one or two. The First Level Summoners can manipulate their aura into different forms of long range and short-range weapons like I just demonstrated. The Second Level Summoners can call upon flora to assist them in battle and summon objects to them like I did with the chains before."

Neo flinched. She tucked herself more into Law's side and glared at the Summoners for refreshing her memories on that more than they already were.

Wisely ignoring Neo's discomfort, Elek continued, "The Third Level Summoners can call upon animals to assist them. That means the Summoners can have the animals fight themselves or merge with the animals and gather their strengths just like they do with their animal guardians."

"The Second Level Summoners thing sounds like Neo using her earth crystals," Shachi noted. "The Third Level Summoner also sounds like things Neo can do with animals."

"True. But unlike the Elemental's magic, Summoners have to summon these things to them. They don't just automatically appear just because we want them to and we can't use them until our own strength runs out," Bao said. He pressed his hands to the log he was sitting on and stretched out his legs. "That puts us at a huge disadvantage to Elementals and Devil Fruit users."

"And the Fourth and Fifth Levels?" Topaz asked.

Elek lifted his eyes to Topaz. A smile pulled across his lips when he locked eyes with her.

Neo noticed the smile. She looked back at Topaz. The orange haired woman was also holding a small smile on her lips. Neo frowned and turned her attention back to Elek. She said, "Well?"

"Right. The Fourth and Fifth Levels are very difficult ones to reach. The Four Level is the Astral Orb that controls the sun, moon, and stars. It also controls sealing abilities," Elek said, pulling his attention back to the issue at hand. "While the Mortem Orb controls death with very gruesome results that you don't want me to go into. Let's just say it was the main reason it was sealed away."

"You people can control things like the sun, moon, and stars?" Tero asked. He crossed his arms and gave the men a skeptical look. "I find that hard to believe."

"A lot of people do unless they see it for themselves. But it's not like those Summoners can just pull those things down from the sky," Bao replied. "They only call on small parts of them and from the orb not the actual sun, moon, and stars in the sky. It'll make more sense when you all come to Zion with us."

"Come to Zion?!" The crews' shrieked. "What do you mean by that?!"

"We already told you that Trafalgar's power was release through the improper way," Bao said. "He needs to be trained properly and get his animal guardian so he won't hurt anyone. How was that not clear?"

"Then just train him here. We don't have time to travel somewhere else," Shachi said.

"Weren't you listening at all? He needs his animal guardian then proper training to control this power," Bao said with a frown. "If not, then he could loose control and kill tons of people. Did you not see what Elek did with his aura a minute ago? Did you not see what your own captain did to you all? Speaking of which, how in the world did you not get cut by his aura?"

Neo flinched when Bao looked her body over. She narrowed her eyebrows at him and pressed her body into Law's. "I don't know. Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

"You're so cute. I get the feeling you know why, but you just don't want to tell us," Bao said. He bent his knees up, put his right elbow on his knee, and rested his chin in his palm. He smirked when Neo flinched at his words.

Law growled at the young man calling his wife cute. He growled again when Bao seemed to just ignore him and stare at Neo. His instincts were screaming at him that this Bao was going to be trouble. And with the way he kept catching Bao glancing at Neo, he was sure his instincts were correct and he wasn't just jealous or being over protective.

 _'Since they know about us Elementals, is it possible they know about our bond?'_ Neo thought to Law. She turned her eyes away from Bao and Elek and down to Law's shirt.

 _'It's possible. It all depends on the ages of the Elementals they know and whether or not they have lived on Luminous before moving into the human world or what their parents have told them. Either way there's no way for them to know how deeply bonded we are. The Elementals on Luminous were even shocked at that.'_ Law kept his eyes locked onto the two men across from them. He didn't want to give them any kind of hints about their private conversation they were having.

 _'Should we tell them? Our bond obvious had some affect on your aura not hurting me.'_

 _'No. I don't trust them enough to know about that. We might need to use it to our advantage at some point. We'll keep it quiet for now.'_

"There is one other thing you all need to be aware of," Elek said, regaining all of their attention. His eyes went right to Law. "The two Elementals will have to wear an orb similar to the one you're wearing when we arrive on Zion."

"Why?" Law asked.

"Because they are nature. And since a lot of our summons are nature based, the Zion Orbs try and force the Elementals to use them," Elek replied.

"What will the orbs do to them?" Law asked. "Will it hurt them? Will it prevent them from using their crystals?"

"It'll do the opposite of what it does for you. They look the same but their job is different. The orb you wear keeps your powers in. They orbs they will wear keeps the power out," Elek explained. "It's completely harmless for the Elementals. And it won't have any effects on them using their crystals."

"I see," Law said, feeling relieved.

"I know everything seems a bit confusing right now, but that will all be cleared up when you come to Zion and train on how to use this power," Elek said. "This isn't a permanent deal. You all don't have to stay on Zion forever. It's just until Trafalgar gets his powers under control. Once that happens you all can leave. You also have the choice of using or not using this power when it's under control. Some Summoners have left the summoning world behind and have lived normal lives without summoning a single thing."

Neo looked up at Law at the point. But he didn't look back at her right away. He kept his steel color eyes on Elek and Bao, contemplating their words for a minute before looking down at Neo. With a sigh, he said, "I'm sorry, love. We have to go."

"I know." Neo nodded.

…

 **Author's Notes: I know I forgot to answer something in this chapter. :/ But I can't remember what it was. T.T Some stuff will be revealed later on, but still. Ugh! What was it? Orz**

 **Sarge1130: Well, Zoro would look so cute with a banana on his head. But I fix it anyway. Thanks for pointing the goof out. These chapters are so long they're harder to proofread than my shorter chapters. I'm not meaning to make them 10,000+. Glad ya like it. I can't wait to see what happens too.**

 **Guest: Glad you like it. I'm continuing with it for sure. It'll just be slower updated than my Frozen Soul rewritten. But once I get a chapter written and proofread I'll post it.**

 **Apple Bloom: Thanks. More coming.**


	4. To Zion P1

To Zion

Part One

Despite Law having said they had to go and Neo agreeing with him, no one moved. The world around them seemed to still upon the decision. The ocean waves stopped washing upon the beach and the seagulls silenced their caws. Several questions hung between the pirate crews and the Summoners, but no one asked anything. The majority of their questions clearly wouldn't be answered until they got to Zion.

"We should really get going then if there's nothing else to talk about," Nami said.

"So how long will it take to get to Zion?" Usopp asked.

"From this island…about a week I think," Elek said.

"As long as nothing happens between now and then that is," Bao added and Elek nodded. "Being pirates you all know how unpredictable the sea can be."

"All right then. Let's set sail," Law said. He glanced over his shoulder to the other captain in the group. "Are you ready?"

"I'm ready." Luffy nodded.

"So where's your ship?" Sanji asked.

"It's at the docks, but we really need to ride with Trafalgar," Elek said.

"Why?" Neo asked, narrowing her eyebrows at the Summoners.

"It's for safety reasons," Elek replied. "On rare occasions those orbs suppressing a Summoner's power can fail. And with how strong Trafalgar is, I'd feel a whole lot better if we rode with you all. If that's all right with you of course, Trafalgar Neo. We'll help anywhere we can or are needed to."

 _'I really don't want them in_ _our_ _home.'_ Neo pressing herself more into Law's body, if it was even possible at this point.

 _'I know, love. And if you really, really don't want them there then I won't allow them to set foot on the sub. It's your home. I really don't want you stressing out over some strangers invading your safe zone.'_

Neo thought for a moment. On one hand she really didn't want these strangers in her home or around her family and friends. But on the other hand she didn't want Law to lose control again either. _'I don't want them there. But…I don't want you to lose control either. We have to let them ride on the sub, don't we?'_

 _'Only if you say it's fine. Like I said, it's your home. It's your decision. I'll make sure that you're never alone with them at least until you're feeling secure around them.'_

Neo sighed. She really didn't want strangers in her home, especially when she wasn't sure if she could trust them fully or not. But she didn't want to take the chance of Law losing control and hurting himself or someone else. There wasn't much of a choice to be made. She took a deep breath and exhaled. "It's okay for them to enter the sub."

Elek nodded.

"We should pull the Sunny around to their ship," Franky said. "If it's not that big, we can easily pull her along behind our ship. You all probably don't want to leave it behind."

"We don't. And it's not a very big ship," Elek said. "Since it was just us two traveling, there was no point in having a huge ship to sail."

"All right! Then let's get going!" Luffy cheered. "We're setting sail to Zion!"

The two crews and two Summoners then stood up and headed for the ships.

Neo slipped her hand into Law's when they stood up. She carefully eyed the two strangers as they walked down the beach towards the town and the docks. She couldn't help but noticed how her friends were carefully placing themselves between her and these two strangers. She loved them even more for that. They always knew what she needed and when she needed it.

"Don't worry about them," Sanji then said as he stepped up beside her. "You've got a good security detail surrounding you. They're not going to do anything to hurt you."

"I know that. I'm trying not to worry," Neo said. She looked up at her friend and fellow cook. "It's just this is the first real time that strangers have had to come into our home. It's not really a comfortable feeling. And now with the stresses of being pregnant, I don't know if I'm going to be able to adjust to them being there."

"That's understandable. But we're right beside you," Chopper said. He smiled up at Neo. "We'll be there too."

"You can count on us for sure, especially Luffy" Sanji said. "He'll probably ride on the sub the whole way to Zion. And knowing him, he'll soon get over his protectiveness over you and start bugging Elek and Bao." He looked over at his captain to find Luffy was already bugging the two Summoners with what sounded like a million questions. "Good grief."

…

"So you're a cat, huh?" Luffy asked, poking Bao in the left arm.

"Cheetah," Bao replied.

"Cheetah! You don't feel like a cat," Luffy said with another poke to Bao's arm. "Where's your fur?"

"That's because I'm human," Bao said. He slapped Luffy's hand away from his arm. "I don't have fur unless I'm in my cheetah form."

"Can you run fast like this?" Luffy asked.

"No, I have to summon my aura to use my cheetah's abilities or form," Bao said. "I just showed you that a minute ago."

"That's cool," Luffy said before stepping closer to Elek. "What about you? Can you really turn into an eagle?"

"Yes," Elek said.

"Show me!" Luffy demanded.

"Luffy!" Nami shouted. She grabbed Luffy by his ear and pulled him away from the Summoners. "You're being annoying! Excuse him. He's always lacking in manners. But expect him to bug you a lot on this trip to Zion."

"Ouch! Let go, Nami!" Luffy said. "I just want to see him turn into an eagle!"

"You just want to be annoying!" Nami snapped. She pulled Luffy's ear out as far as her arm would let her then quickly released him.

Luffy's head wobbled when his ear slapped against him. He grabbed his head to stop it.

"It's all right. I can go ahead and show him. Flying to the ship would be a lot faster than walking," Elek said just as he released his red aura.

"Wow!" Luffy exclaimed. He watched as Elek's body shift into the body of a bald eagle.

Elek flapped his wings, rising high in the air with a single powerful stroke.

"That's so cool!" Luffy shouted.

"Later!" Bao said before shifting into his cheetah form. He dashed down the beach, disappearing in the sand he kicked up.

Luffy coughed and sputtered at the sand blowing in his face. He waved the sand away before saying, "That's just so cool! I'm going to be a Summoner too!"

"No you're not!" Nami growled. "You cause too much trouble as is it with your Devil Fruit powers! You're not allow to have anymore powers!"

"Aw, Nami!" Luffy whined. "Why not?!"

"I said no!" Nami snapped.

…

"Hm." Sanji hummed. He stared off into the direction that Elek and Bao went. "I think they ran away just to get away from Luffy."

"You might be right," Chopper said.

"Let's get the Sunny ready and get over to the docks," Franky said. He walked over to the Sunny. Grabbing a hold of the ladder, he climbed up first before being followed by the rest of his crewmates.

"This is going to be a long trip," Brook said as he scaled the ladder. "And an interesting one from the looks of things. I wonder if I could see the women of Zion's panties when we get there."

"Don't even think about it!" Nami said.

Neo summoned her wind crystals. Wrapping it around her crew, she lifted them up to the deck. Once there, Law looked at his crew and said, "Let's prepare to set sail. Topaz? Shachi?"

"Aye, Captain?" Topaz and Shachi asked.

"Would you might getting one of the spare rooms set up for them?" Law asked.

"Aye aye, Captain!" Topaz and Shachi saluted before disappearing into the sub.

The rest of the crew started to filter inside to carry out their normal duties in getting the sub ready to set sail while muttering in curiosity about their current adventure. Penguin was the only one who lingered behind with Neo and Law. His hat-covered eyes were locked onto Neo. Like always, he was concerned about her. He watched her just staring down at the deck floor and wondered how she was actually going to handle having strangers she didn't trust in her home. When they got a new crewmate, but for the exception of Jean Bart due to the situation back on Sabaody, Law always gave her a couple days to adjust to the newbie before letting them on the sub.

"It's all right, Penguin," Neo said, causing Penguin to jump from being in such deep thought about her. She giggled, her soft bells chimed in the small breeze that teased her hair. It wasn't often that she startled her family. "I know this is necessary. Let's just keep things as normal as possible. This is just another adventure, but with two extra people."

"Right." Penguin nodded, but he still wasn't sure about this.

"Well, since we're leaving this island earlier than expected," Neo said, "why don't we spend sometime together later? Just the two of us? We can make some cookies. We haven't baked together in some time. What do you say? I could use a little big brother quality time."

"That sounds great," Penguin said. A smile finally spread over his lips. He stepped over to Neo and kissed her forehead before heading inside.

"You spoil the crew far too much," Law said once Penguin disappeared from their view.

"I'm allowed," Neo said innocently.

Law couldn't help but chuckle. She was allowed as long as she didn't over do it. He needed the crew fit and healthy after all. He kissed her hair. "You sure are. But you really don't need to make them sweets all the time."

"You're worried about their health," Neo said.

"I'm their doctor and their captain," Law said. "I'm supposed to be. We need a healthy crew if we're going to survive on the sea."

"I'm their captain too. And we have a healthy crew," Neo said. She poked Law in the stomach. "They work off all the sweets during training. You just don't want me to spoil them despite having the right to. I don't go overboard. I understand the importance of a healthy diet. That's why I make sure they always have well balanced meals to go along with the sweets. And you take care of all the medical stuff. I adjust their meals when necessary. I think you're really just jealous. You don't want me to give them too much attention."

"Absolutely," Law said with another chuckle. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and led her into the sub. "You're my love not theirs."

"Don't worry, lover," Neo said. She wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled at him. "I spoil you more than I do them. I just spoil you in a different way. And I'll spoil you later tonight if you want."

"I definitely want that," Law said. He stopped walking and gently pushed her against the wall, pinning her there with his arms on either side of her. "But as long as you let me do whatever I want."

"That is so tempting," Neo said. She fiddled with the ends of his shirt before slipping her hands underneath it.

"You better say yes," Law said in a slightly warning tone. He leaned his sword against the wall.

"And if I don't?" Neo slowly ran her hands over his toned abs, feeling every muscle beneath her soft, delicate hands.

"I'll make you regret it," Law said before leaning down and capturing her lips. He brushed his tongue over her lips, demanding to be let in. He growled when all she did was smirk against him. Getting his revenge, he took his hands and placed them on her body. Slowly dragging them along every inch of her, using every skillful trick he knew to get her to wiggle and squirm under his touch until he hit a ticklish spot on her back between her shoulder blades. He slipped his tongue between her lips when she couldn't stop a startled squeak.

 _'That's cheating!'_

 _'That's what you get for denying me what I want.'_

 _'You're going to pay for that later.'_

 _'You're going to pay for that right now.'_ Law drug his tongue all over her dark cavern. Slowly tasting her sweetness while causing her to melt helplessly under his touch. Getting a little heated, he ran his hands down her sides to her legs. Hooking his hands behind her thighs, he lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist. Her baby bump pressed against his stomach when he pushed her more into the wall. The touch sent his heart and stomach fluttering like a field of butterflies that had been startled. Sometimes he still found it hard to believe they were having a baby.

"Hey, Captain, we're-Oooh…" Bepo's voice trailed off when he realized he was interrupting a heated moment. He dropped his head. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Bepo," Law said through soft pants. He bit back a moan when Neo nibbled on his own soft spot on his neck. "What did you want?"

"We just got a call from the Straw Hats," Bepo said. "They're heading over to the docks right now."

"All right. Let's get going then," Law said.

"Aye aye, Captain!" Bepo said before quickly scurrying off.

Neo sighed, nuzzling into his neck. "Well, that was a bit of a mood killer. Just a reminder strangers are getting ready to board our _home_."

"I know. It was a mood killer," Law said before he leaned down and pressed his lips to her neck. "But it's fine. I can't do what I want with you right here anyway."

"You can be such a naughty boy," Neo said when he passed his sexual desires and plans to her.

"You love it," Law said before sucking hard on her tender flesh.

Neo gasped then moaned in pleasure at the feelings he sent washing through her body. "I thought you said you wanted to wait."

"I do. I was just giving you a preview of later," Law said, releasing her neck so he could look at her. "What would you like to do now?"

Neo chewed on her bottom lip in thought. "I suppose I'll just go out on the deck."

"And obsess over those two coming aboard? I don't think so," Law said. With her still in his hold, he stepped away from the wall.

"I wasn't going to obsess," Neo protest.

"Sure you weren't," Law said.

"Law!" Neo huffed. "I was _not_ going to obsess!"

"It's really cute when you try to lie to me," Law said with a smirk.

"Oh! You're being mean!" Neo puffed her cheeks out at him before hiding her face in his neck. "Fine! I'll stay with you! As long as you carry me!"

"I was planning on that anyway," Law said. He started rubbing her back in an attempt to help keep her calm.

Neo growled in frustration at him always being two steps ahead of her and for knowing her so well. She was going to go out on the deck and obsess. She wouldn't be able to stop herself while watching them inch closer to the docks where the Summoners' ship was docked. She was still going to think about it of course, but being this close to Law would help her not think about it too much. And if she did, he could easily redirect her attention to something else, something more positive until she could adjust to everything. They spent the majority of their time in the control room. Law was using it to distract her. Despite having no intention of ever piloting the sub, he still wanted her to be familiar with the controls and how everything worked. So they spent days in here, working the sub controls together, but most of the time they were flirting and kissing. Eventually, he had to have the crew take over teaching her how to control the sub. If he didn't, she'd never learn. It still took a while for her to get it since she wasn't familiar with the controls at all, but she eventually figured it all out to the point she could take control of it if it was ever needed. She hoped it wasn't. She'd rather rely on her crystals, which she was more familiar with. But she understood Law's reasons for learning how to pilot the sub.

A few minutes later, she finally broke away from Law when he deemed her calm enough to do so. She had the slightest of intension of going out on the deck to watch Franky hitch up the smaller ship, but the thought was quickly extinguished when Law ordered the crew to not let her out on the deck. So, instead, she wandered the sub for a while and ultimately found herself at the crew quarters. One of the doors, on the far end from the stairs, was open. Soft voices came from the open door. Shachi and Topaz were clearly still in that room, fulfilling their orders.

"She'll be okay," Shachi's voice said, floating down the hall to greet her.

"I know. I'm still worried. This is going to be a big adjustment for her," Topaz then said.

Neo sighed. She had everyone worried. She walked down to the door and stepped inside. She looked around the small, simple room. On each side of the room, build into the walls, were bunk beds. Shachi was one of the bunks, pulling a sheet over it while Topaz was on the floor, sweeping up a little dust that settled into the room since it wasn't in use. "How's it going?"  
"Almost done," Shachi said. "I guess we're on our way to pick up the two new…uh…"

"It's okay, you two," Neo said with a smile. "I'm more or less fine with this. I know that Elek and Bao aren't a threat to us. I'm just not quite sure about them yet. I should be fine with them by the time we reach Zion. So, please, stop worrying about me."

"We'll try, Neo. But you know it's not that easy because we love you so much," Topaz said with a smile. They all looked up when the sub slowed to a stop. "Well, I guess we've reached the docks."

"I love you guys too. I think I'm going to go read for a while," Neo said, placing her hand on her stomach. "That might help me stay relaxed."

"Good plan," Shachi said.

"See you guys later," Neo said. She waved to the two before exiting the room. She trudged along through the sub halls, her shoeless feet silent against the metal floor. Only the sounds of the crew's voices from random rooms and the low hum of the engines fill the warm air around her. She tried not to think about it, but she couldn't help but wonder how these two new passengers were going to affect her family and their day-to-day living. Elek was clearly the calmest one of the two. She figured he would be able to fit in fine and not cause trouble. But Bao seemed to be the exact opposite. He clearly like to push boundaries and didn't listen very well to what people was telling him. Maybe that was just his youth talking. He really didn't look that old. He was probably around her age. Still, she wondered how often he was going to get into fights with the crew. Or if he was going to try and get close to her in kind of some way. She really didn't want to be touched by either of them.

She paused and looked at the hall she was in. It was big enough that she always had room to slip around the crew when she first came to live with them. Jean Bart had plenty of space in the halls too. She was just worrying for no reason at all. She still had her crystals with her. She's used them before to keep people from touching her. And she could do that here. She could fly over Elek and Bao if she met them in the hall. Or she could wrap her winds around her like she has done a lot to keep people from touching her. She sucked in a deep breath and slowly released it. Heading on through the sub, she finally came to the rec. room. She walked over to the bookshelf near the couch. Plucking the book off the shelf that she had been reading recently, she sat down and curled up in the corner of the couch where she always read unless sitting on Law's lap or laying across it with her feet on whosever lap that happened to be sitting with her. Snug in her favor spot she opened up the book and ran her eyes over the first few pages. At first, she couldn't get into the story. She barely registered the words that were staring back at her. She thought that she wasn't going to be able to read after all. But after a few minutes she finally got relaxed enough to let the story pull her away from reality. She let herself get lost among the story of fairies trying to liberate their kingdom from being destroyed by an evil king who over took and killed the former queen.

…

"This is it?" Franky asked as they glided up to the docks of the island. He ran his eyes over the small ship. It was about a fourth size smaller than the Merry was. He also noticed that it was in good condition. Just from the outside, he could tell it only held one bathroom, one bedroom, and a kitchen on the main level with plenty of storage on the lower level for just two men. His eyes ran up the mass to the flag lazily flowing in the wind. It was a simple white flag with five circles he assumed were images of the orbs the Summoners talked about earlier. "Looks like you've taken good care of her. Are either of you shipwrights?"

"I'm certainly not, but Elek is," Bao said from the deck of their ship.

"No," Elek replied. "I'm not really a shipwright. Or I don't classify myself as one anyway. I do know my way around building ships, but never had a real interest in it to stick with a job like that. I know enough so that I have been able to take care of the ship while we've been sailing around. But I don't know how much longer that this ship would last. Our journey has taken us away from home longer than we had anticipated. We're about out of money for supplies."

"So that's why you stayed out on the beach last night instead of finding a hotel," Sanji said. Resting his arms on the railing of the Sunny, he looked down at the ship and the two men onboard.

"Yes," Elek said with a nod. "That's why."

"And I'm sick of it. I'm ready to get back to Zion and my own bed," Bao said, kicking the mass. "I really don't care much for sailing. I'm more of a ground person."

"So those circles on your flag represent the Orbs of Zion?" Robin asked while she walked over to the side of the ship.

"Yes, they do," Elek replied.

"Isn't it dangerous to have them there considering the power the Summoner Orbs have?" Nami asked.

"It can be," Elek said. "But it's not like we can keep people from coming to Zion. We're just like any other island only with the gifts of Summoners to defend ourselves."

"I see. But speaking of Zion," Nami said. "I need the coordinates for the island. Or do you have a Log Pose?"

"Right here," Bao said. He reached into his pocket and pulled the pose out before tossing it to the navigator.

"Hey! Don't throw it!" Nami said. She stumbled back away from the railing, eyeing the device as it fell towards her. She sighed when it landed safely in her hands. "What if it broke?!"

"No worries," Bao said with a carefree shrug. "We have another."

"We brought two with us just incase we got separated," Elek said, showing the crew his own Log Pose. "We'll let the Heart Pirates use this one. Incase we get separated just go ahead and head straight for Zion. If that happens, once you're there ask for a woman named Teal. She'll assist you until we get there."

"Understood," Nami said while tucking the Log Pose into her pocket for safe keeping until they got underway.

"Hey!" Luffy shouted before swinging down from the mass of their ship. He landed on the Summoners ship with a big grin. "What's it like being animals?! Do you have all their strengths and weaknesses?!"

"You're suddenly very friendly now," Bao said. He leaned against the railing of the ship, crossing his arms and legs. "Is it because Neo's not here?"

"Neo will adjust to you when she feels like it," Luffy said. He ran over to Bao and looked right in his face, getting a little too close for the Summoner's liking. "So tell me! What's it like being animals?!

"We're not animals," Bao said, pushing the Straw Hat captain away from him. "We only turn into them when we need their skills."

"But they affect you, right?" Luffy asked.

"Not really," Bao said. "I mean, they do a little bit, but we're still fully human. I never have the sudden crave to chase after prey."

Elek laughed at the young man's word. "I think that blonde from two islands ago would beg to differ."

"Hey! She wasn't my _prey_!" Bao protested.

"No, not at all. You only drooled all over yourself because of her curvy body, long legs, and bright blue eyes," Elek said with a bright smile.

"So what happened?" Nami asked as she leaned back against the rail.

"He whispered something, probably sexual, in her ear," Elek continued. "She slapped him and walked away in a huff."

"Just don't try that or anything else with Neo," Sanji warned. He stepped over to the side of the Sunny and glared directly at Bao.

"Not again," Bao said with a little whine in his voice. "What's wrong with you people?"

"Neo's not your normal girl," Sanji said.

"I noticed," Bao replied with a smile that the blonde cook didn't like. His smile faded when a pot whacked him in the head. "Ouch! What the heck was that for?! Where did you even get that pot?!"

"The kitchen," Sanji said with a smirk.

"I know that! But when?! You were standing right there the whole time!" Bao growled.

"I like being prepared," Sanji said. He took a puff of his cigarette, blew the smoke from his mouth, then returned a sharp warning glare to Bao. "I can tell when a flirt is around. You're clearly one of them. And you clearly have no respect for personal boundaries. Neo and Law are married. There's nothing you can do to ever come between them. But if you still try, I'll personally flambé you."

"Fine. Whatever," Bao grumbled before walking away and disappearing into the ship.

"I apologize for Bao's attitude," Elek said. "He's young. And very much a healthy young man as I'm sure you've noticed."

"It would be best if he stayed away from Neo," Robin then said. "She really is a special case."

Elek looked at the dark haired woman, carefully considering her words and everything that had taken place between them and the pirates. He could easily see that Neo was a special case and not because she was an Elemental royal. He wanted to ask them about it, but had enough experience dealing with people to know they wouldn't tell him anything until they were ready. So all he did was nod in understanding then followed after Bao to gather up clothes and other supplies that he would need while aboard the Heart Pirates' vessel.

…

Law sighed as walked down the hall of the crew's quarters. He knew Neo was down here a few minutes ago, but was currently up in the rec. room. He was trying not to hover over her, but his love for her and his doctor side couldn't help but keep a close eye on her. He monitored her heartbeat through their connection like a hawk, making sure she wasn't getting too stressed out from this. He flinched at the word _hawk_. His hand lifted to his forehead. He fingered the orb that was stuck there and wondered what his animal guardian thing was going to be. He never visualized himself as an animal and he couldn't do it now. He had no clue what he could be or might be. It worried him a bit. But a small chuckle left his lips when he saw himself as something furry and cute, something Neo would love to see him like. Maybe he'd be some form of a cat? Or a dog? Maybe a dolphin? He wondered what all the Summoners transformed into. If they could be an earth dweller like a cheetah and a bird like an eagle surely they could be sea creatures too. That would be something he had to ask the Summoners. But whatever he became, he knew that Neo would love him as it whenever she adjusted to the change. She'd probably force him to transform so she could gush over him as an animal like she often did with Bepo.

"Oh, Captain," Shachi said as he and Topaz exited the room they were in. "Did you need something?"

"Not really," Law replied. "I was just checking to make sure everything was going fine."

"Of course it is," Topaz said with a smile and a playful wink at her captain. "I'm kind of an expert a cleaning after all."

Law smiled and nodded. Topaz has blended in so well with the crew that he often forgot she was a maid back on Luminous.

"Is there anything else you'd like for us to do?" Shachi asked.

Law opened his mouth to asked Topaz to give Elek and Bao a tour of the sub, but instead said, "No, that would be all. You're free to do whatever you wish."

"Later then, Captain," Shachi said as he and Topaz skirted around their captain.

Law watched them go, their voices mingling together as they headed up the stairs. He thought about how he almost asked Topaz to give the two new men a tour around the sub, but quickly stopped himself. He should pick someone else. Someone that wasn't as protective as she and Shachi would be. He instantly saw that friendly spark that happened between Topaz and Elek on the beach. He knew Neo noticed it too but she didn't put it together like he did. Topaz and Elek found each other attractive. He knew Neo would figure it out soon. For now he didn't want to encourage that small spark. He wasn't going to get in-between Topaz and Elek if they pursued a relationship during the time they were together, but he wasn't going to encourage it either.

So who exactly could give the tour? He couldn't just let the two men wonder around without knowing where they were going. The sub wasn't that big, but could be a problem for people who weren't familiar with it. And he certainly didn't want the two men _accidently_ stumbling into his and Neo's room. That would push her over the edge far too much. She needed their room as a safe spot to get away from the two new men. So who was there that would best fit this task? The majority of his crew were fiercely protect of her, especially him. He thought about doing it himself then quickly shot down the idea. He didn't really want to. He was already going to have to give him and Elek a physical for Neo and their baby's safety. He really didn't want to spend more time with them if he could avoid it. And he didn't know if he could keep himself from intimidating Bao with a show of his powers directly. Plus it would upset Neo if she sensed him using his powers suddenly inside of the sub. He didn't do that much. The only times he did he was taking care of something like a sea king outside or punishing a crewmember for doing something they shouldn't have done, neither happened very often. Tero was probably the least close to Neo, but he was still protective of her in his own way. And Tero's protectiveness has increased since Neo has been pregnant.

Law shoved his hands into his pockets with an annoyed sigh. Maybe one of the Straw Hats could do it. They've been over here enough times that some times he felt they knew the sub better than he did. With the exception of Chopper, Luffy, Robin, and Sanji, they weren't as protective of her as his own crew was. But they'd still protect her no matter what. And they were already protective of her from these two men, especially Bao. He sighed again. There just didn't seem to be anyone who'd work. He was just going to have to do it himself.

"Captain," Jean Bart said, "I didn't expect to see you down here."

Law looked up at the large man coming out of his quarters. His eyebrows rose as the corner of his lips curl into a smirk. He should have thought of Jean Bart before. Sure the man was protective over Neo, but he also had more life experience than the rest of the crew. Jean Bart would be perfect for giving the tour. "Jean Bart, I'm glad I ran into you. I have a task that I need you to handle."

"Sure thing, Captain," Jean Bart said. "What is it?"

"I need you to give a tour of the sub to Bao and Elek," Law said.

"Of course." Jean Bart nodded. "Any special orders for them?"

"Just the usual thing about staying out of my medical supplies and not messing with any of the medical and sub equipment," Law said.

"Understood, Captain," Jean Bart said.

"I'm heading up to the deck now," Law said, heading towards the stairs. "Before you take them on the tour I'm going to stress to them to stay away from our room. Neo needs it to get away from them. She's already stressed out enough with them being on the sub. I don't want her private space to be invaded as well."

"Of course, Captain," Jean Bart said. "Where is she right now?"

"Up in the rec. room. She's settled down a bit and is reading," Law said. He focused on Neo again, studying her now soft heartbeat. She was relaxed completely. So that meant she finally got into the book she was reading and wasn't thinking about the two men about to board their home. He was glad for that. She could escape reality for a few minutes before they headed off for Zion. Reaching the main floor, he grabbed his forgotten sword before he and Jean Bart stepped out onto the deck. The sun was bright but his hat shielded his eyes from it. He looked over towards the Straw Hats' ship when it pulled up beside them. Perfect timing. He smirked when he heard Luffy's voice rattling off a bunch of questions to the Summoners. It was refreshing to hear the other captain annoying someone else for a change.

"That's it! I'm out of here!" Bao said before turning into his cheetah form and jumping over to the deck of the sub.

Elek's departure from the Sunny was more graceful. He turned into his eagle form and flew over without a word. He transformed back into his human body once low enough to the deck and shifted his bag on his shoulder after landing.

"You know coming over here isn't going to keep Straw Hat from bugging you," Law said just before Luffy's hand landed on the railing of the sub.

"Huh? Ack! No! Stay over there!" Bao shouted.

"Luffy! Stop being annoying!" Nami screamed.

"Ouch! Let go of my ear, Nami!" Luffy demanded, his hand releasing from the sub's railing.

"No! You've bugged them enough for one day!" Nami replied while she pulled him away from the edge of the Sunny.

"Dang! How can he be so full of energy?!" Bao asked.

Law chuckled, thinking about how he was going to personally invite Luffy over later just to bug Bao. Heck, he'd even tell Luffy what room Bao was staying in.

"Here," Elek said, breaking Law from his plotting. He walked over to the captain and handed him the Log Pose. "This is set directly to Zion."

"Right. I'll give this to our navigator immediately," Law said.

"We also told the Straw Hats to head straight for Zion in case we got separated," Elek said. "We gave them a Log Pose too."

Law nodded. He jerked his thumb towards Jean Bart. "This is Jean Bart. He's going to be giving you a tour of the sub and show you where your room is."

"Great! When's lunch?" Bao asked.

"Bao," Elek warned his younger companion. "Forgive him, again. He has a very healthy appetite. We'll help out with the cooking for that if you'd like."

"No need," Law said. "Neo takes care of the cooking with our second cook, Basil. They're use to handling large meals."

"Neo cooks? That's awesome! I can't wait to taste her food!" Bao said with a bright smile. "I bet she's a great cook!"

Law growled at him. His hand tightened on his sword in desperation to not pull it out and cut this young man's head off, without his powers. "She's a wonderful cook. And you'll find that out since we're going to be traveling together for a while. But despite that there are two top rules you _will_ follow above all else while you're onboard our sub."

"And what's that?" Bao asked in a challenging sort of way.

"Of course we will," Elek said with a sharp elbow in Bao's side.

"Ouch," the young man protested. He rubbed his sore ribs while glaring at his friend.

"First of all, you both will under go a complete examination," Law started. He growled in annoyance when Bao interrupted him.

"No need for that," Bao said. "We're both healthy as horses."

"I don't care," Law said. "If you're going to be riding on my sub, you will complete a physical. Normally, I would do it before we settle sail, but seeing as we're pressed for time I'll have to do it while we sail. It will take place right after your tour of the sub. You two are to immediately report to the medical bay after you put your things in your room."

Bao opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Elek before he could. "Of course. We'll follow whatever rules you set in place. We'll be in the medical bay right after we drop off our things."

"Second rule, you are to stay away from Neo and my bedroom," Law said with a harsh, pointed glare at Bao. "Neither of you are allowed to set foot inside of there. If you need anything from me and I'm in there you're to have one of the crew come get me. If you break this rule, I'll cut you into a million pieces and shove you down in the engine room where you'll stay for the rest of the voyage to Zion."

Bao opened his mouth but before he could say anything, Elek stepped between him and Law. "We understand. We won't invade her space anymore than we already have. But we would like to help out with things while we're on your ship. We don't want this to be a free ride despite having our own ship. We can do whatever you want. We can clean-"

"Hey!" Bao said.

"Or we're pretty good at fishing," Elek said, ignoring his younger companion. "We can help with the food in that way if it doesn't bother Neo."

"I'll discuss this with her later," Law said. He nodded to Jean Bart.

Jean Bart nodded back then signaled towards the door. "Shall we?"

"Of course." Elek nodded. He and Bao then followed after the large man.

Bao gave Law a frown as he passed by the captain.

Law shot the young man a harsh glare. Giving the young man the clearest impress that he was not going to tolerate any disobedience on his ship whether Bao was his subordinate or not.

"Hey, Law," Sanji then called.

Law looked over at the Straw Hat cook.

"Any time you need us over there to help with Neo or anything else," Sanji said.

"I know." Law nodded. He then disappeared into the sub to give Bepo the Log Pose.

…

It was sometime later that voices pulled Neo from her story. She looked up to the door to find Jean Bart was giving Elek and Bao a tour. She wasn't surprised at all that Jean Bart was the one picked for this particular job. He was the oldest of the crew. That helped him keep a cooler head, better than the rest of them. It also helped that he wasn't one of the fifteen that she first lived with. She knew those fifteen were more protective of her since they were beside her when Law brought her onto the sub and for everything they had to deal with on Luminous and with the Elementals. Sinking down into the couch, she fiddled nervously with the page of her book when they stepped inside the room with her. Her heart clenched and her body temperature dropped a few degrees when their bodies blocked the door, her only escape.

"Step over here so you're not blocking the door from anyone who wants to come or leave," Jean Bart said so naturally. He looked over at Neo with a smile, carefully eyeing her current state of nervousness. He relaxed when she returned a grateful smile to him and settled back down a bit.

"Of course," Elek said with a nod. He took a step to his right and looked around while Bao wondered farther into the room.

Both men were wearing backpacks on their backs. Neo eyed the packs, wondering what all was in them. She wondered if Law searched them for weapons. Then she realized their weapons were their summons. It made her nervous that her family never fought people like this. It felt like Luminous all over again. How would they be able to handle the Summoners if they got into a fight? They weren't really able to handle Law when he lost control. Of course he was also using his Devil Fruit powers, but still. Even if he didn't have a Devil Fruit, how would they have done? The Summoners said they had a time limit on their powers, but would the crew be able to hold on long enough to stop them? Her heart skipped a beat. They were heading straight for an island full of these people. Surely they weren't all friendly. Would they try and hurt her family and friends?

"This is the rec. room. This is where we hang out a lot when we don't have orders to fulfill," Jean Bart said. "We can read, play poker, or whatever here. Sometimes we work out in here, but the captain prefers we do that down in the training room downstairs."

"This is a very nice ship," Elek said, crossing his arms over his chest. His eyes scanned every inch of the room, carefully taking in the details of the specially crafted submarine. "I never would have guessed a pirate crew would be using a submarine to travel. And a medical one, I presume since your captain is a surgeon. Am I correct?"

"You are. The medical bay is also on the tour so you'll know where to go afterwards," Jean Bart said. "We'll see that when we venture on through the sub."

"I never realize that pirates read so much," Bao said, as he continued to trek around the room. His eyes roamed over the wall-to-wall bookshelves on the left side of the room before landing on Neo. "What are you reading there?"

"A book," Neo said flatly.

"I can see that," Bao said with a smile. "What's it about?"

Neo frowned and narrowed her eyebrows at him before letting her eyes drop back to the pages. She sunk down into the couch, pointedly ignoring the man as he continued to stare at her.

"Not use to us yet, huh? That's okay. You'll warm up to us eventually." Bao chuckled. "We're going to be spending a lot of time together here on your ship and on Zion."

Neo flinched. She didn't want to be reminded of that. She carefully watched him from over the top of her book. When he started to walk around the room again, she summoned her crystals and lined them up between herself and the man she didn't want anywhere near her, her family, or her home. Her heart thudded in her chest as she carefully scanned his movements, waiting to see if he would dare come closer to her.

"Let's proceed," Jean Bart said, easily picking up on Neo's distress. He knew she's had all she could handle with these strangers being in the same room as her. It was time for them to leave. "We have a lot to go over still and then I'm sure you'll want to settle into your room."

"Of course. _Let's go_ , Bao," Elek said.

"Fine. We can talk about books later," Bao said with a soft sigh. He turned from Neo, the books, and headed of the room.

Neo glanced up fully when she saw the two men finally exit the rec. room. She looked at Jean Bart. He was staring at her. She could easily tell he was contemplating not leaving her alone right now. When he didn't leave, she gave him another smile to show she was fine and he could leave before he finally followed after the two men. She sighed. Dropping her eyes back down to her book before closing it. "You don't have to linger out there like some kind of stalker. I can still sense you, you know?"

"Sorry," Law said stepping into the rec. room with a guilty grin. He walked over to her, propping his sword up in the small space between the couch and the bookshelf before slipping his arms underneath her legs and around her back. He then lifted her up, sat down, and placed her on his lap with a kiss to her temple. "I really didn't like how your blood pressure rose like that. I know you're going to need some time to adjust to them being in your home."

"I don't want them here," Neo said.

"I know." Law nodded, tightening his hold on her and wrapping his presence around her so she could feel more secure and so he could bring her blood pressure back down to normal. "But it's only for a little while. I want you to keep reminding yourself of that. And I don't want you along with them at any point in time. Like I said before I'll make sure you're not. One of the crew will always be with you until you can remain calm around them. I should have already told the crew that. I'm sorry."

"Law, that's not-"

"No back talking me now," Law said in his captain tone. He loosened his hold on her so he could look into her eyes. "You know you need to keep calm. Having those men here is clearly going to cause you some stress. So from this point on, you're not to be along with them. Ever. The only time you're allowed to be alone is when you're in our room. I've already told them that that room is off limits to them completely. If they need anything from me they're to have one of the crew come get me."

"At least I have that then. I can retreat there and get away from them," Neo said before leaning into Law's embrace. "I still don't want them here."

"I know, love," Law said. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before tightening his hold on her again. "Bao has also informed me that he does eat quite a lot. So he'll be in the galley quite a bit."

"Just great," Neo grumbled.

"Don't worry," Law said. "I've already talking to Basil about it when I came back into the sub a minute ago. He'll make sure to take care of our guests most of the time so you won't have to interact with them all that often. The two men are also going to pull their fair share of work around here."

"Huh?" Neo lifted her eyes to him.

"Elek insisted as long as it was okay with you," Law said. "They don't want this to be a free ride despite having their own ship. But you don't have to worry about that. They won't be doing much as it is. All they're going to do is help sweep up and catch fish to help feed Bao. Blackleg has also offered to help. You like cooking with him. The Straw Hats are probably going to be over here a lot. Straw Hat was already bombarding them with questions while they were hooking up their ship to the Sunny."

"I suppose it would be all right if they wanted to do some fishing," Neo said. She tilted her head up. She pecked her lips on Law's goatee before starting to place playful nibbles on his chin. She worked her way back to his ear. Taking his earlobe in-between her lips she sucked slowly, seductively on him. She then whispered into his ear and passed her thoughts of wanting to kiss him all over his body for hours. "Stay with me."

Law sighed. He would love nothing more than to do that, and do what Neo was thinking about. But he knew he couldn't. He had to make sure their two new _guests_ weren't carrying any form of illness. "I'm sorry, love. You know I would love to take you back to our room and let you do that to me then I'd turn around and do it to you. But I can't right now."

Neo pulled away from him and pouted.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry," Law said kissing her between each 'sorry'. He then rested his hand on her stomach. "I have to give them two a physical. I'd rather done it before they boarded, but we're short on time. I don't want you two to catch anything that can be prevented."

"I understand," Neo said with a sigh. She placed her hand over his. "You're leaving me so you can protect us."

"I'll make it up to you later," Law said.

"I guess you'll be leaving now," Neo said. She lifted her hand from his and started fiddling with his goatee.

"I still have a few minutes," Law said. He brushed his thumb over her stomach in slow strokes. "Jean Bart's not going to fly through the tour."

"Good," Neo said. She wrapped her arms around his neck. She placed a light kiss on his lips, signaling for a french kiss.

Law was more than happy to accommodate her request. He glided his hand from her stomach to her back, gently pulling her close to him as he slipped his tongue passed her lips. Slowly, he stroked his warm muscle all over her cavern. Taking in every inch of her until she got the desire to take control and forced his tongue back into his mouth with her own. He liked having control, but he couldn't help but love it when she became forceful with him and demanded control. It was such a contradiction to her natural calm nature. But she was also a natural at taking control. He knew it was because of her royal heritage. She was just born that way. She had the ability to take control of him, the crew, and the Straw Hats if she wanted to. Usually she just didn't want to. She preferred a softer approach. And they all would bow to her either way. It was hard for them to not give into her. Especially when she looked at them with her child like, innocent eyes. Her eyes were probably what undid him the most. He knew she could get him to do anything she wanted with just a simple look of those eyes. But she never abused that ability. And he knew she never would.

So he just leaned back into the couch and allowed her to explore him with her tongue and her hands. Once she was out of breath, she pulled back to fill her lungs. He took back control then. Working his lips across her chin and down to her neck until he hit her soft spot causing her to gasp in excitement. She moaned in pleasure as he continued to work his lips over her. Both knowing he would leave a mark there. And both knowing he was doing it on purpose, for a different reason than normal. It was to show Bao that she was off limits in all kinds of ways and in all ways possible. Several minutes later, it was the voices of two passing crewmates that finally broke them apart. They looked up to see who was near them only to find that the rec. room door had been closed. Both wondered who did it. It became a habit of the crews to close the door to any room where Neo and Law were getting intense like this. It wasn't because of possible sexual acts. If those were going to happen they happened in areas that were sure to be without interruption, mostly their own bedroom. Occasionally they've strayed from that and had intimate relations in other parts of the sub, but it didn't happen often. Here the crew just wanted to make sure Neo and Law had plenty of time along since they were all stuck on the sub, sometimes for weeks at a time without a break from each other, and often caused a lot of interruptions in some way or another, especially since traveling with the Straw Hats.

Neo sighed at both the interruption and the meaning of it. Now Law would have to leave her and go take care of their _guests_. "I guess you're leaving now."

"Only for a little while. I'll come back to you once I'm done," Law said. He eyed Neo's yawn while she covered it with her hand. That reminded him of something else that needed to be addressed. She was napping a lot more since being pregnant. And he didn't want her sleeping where she'd wake up to their new guests in the same room with her. "Love, if you need to nap I'd prefer that you do it in our room."

"What for?" Neo asked curiously.

"I don't want you waking up to Elek and Bao nearby," Law said.

"Oh, yeah." Neo nodded. "I forgot about that. I'll get startled if I see them after first waking up."

"You will," Law said with a nod of his own. He tucked her hair behind her ear then brushed his thumb over the smooth skin of her cheek.

"But I fall asleep a lot while reading. I don't mean to. It just happens," Neo said, her eyebrows curling up in worry. "What do I do then?"

"Don't worry about it if you do fall asleep in the rec. room or else where on the sub. I'll just tell the crew and the Straw Hats, since they'll be over here too, to take you to our room if you do. That way you won't have to wake up and get startled by Elek and Bao."

"All right then. I can handle that," Neo said.

"Good. I have to go now. Are you going to go take a nap? You're getting tired," Law said, examining her drowsy expression.

"Yeah, I think a nap would be great for me and baby. It's been an emotional couple of days," Neo said, covering another yawn. "You know I get sleepy when I get emotionally stressed."

"I know," Law said. "I'll come join you once I'm done with the examinations."

"Really?" Neo asked.

"Yes." Law nodded. "I think it would do us both some good if we took a nap together."

"Great." Neo pecked his lips. "Don't take very long with the exams."

Law chuckled as she stood up from his lap. He followed her, reclaimed his sword, and slipped his hand into hers with the intent of escorting her to their room. "I'll take as long as it takes. I'm going to be extremely thorough in their exams. I don't want to miss a single thing."

"Aw, Law," Neo said. She leaned into his arm and batted her eyelashes at him. "I want you with me."

"I know. I'll be there as soon as I can," Law said.

"Fine," Neo said reluctantly. "Just try not to scare them too much."

"I'm not going to scare them in any kind of way," Law said.

"Yeah right," Neo mumbled. She knew he would every chance he could get to scare them. And with his surgical type Devil Fruit, it would only make things even scarier. While she didn't want the two Summoners in her home, she didn't want them to have a heart attack either. She decided not to press the matter. She knew he wouldn't do too much to them anyway since they were helping him get control over this new power of his.

Law opened the door to the rec. room and they stepped out into the hall. They were greeted with waves and smiled from a couple crewmates who were passing by the room. He just nodded at them while Neo returned the smile and wave. The two groups then proceeded on their way to their separate destinations. He slipped his arm around her waist and kissed her ever time she glanced up at him, which was about ever three steps. Eventually, they made it to their room. He placed his hands on her hips, giving her one more deep kiss before letting her crawl into bed. He then tucked her under their cover and stayed with her until she had fallen asleep. Once he knew for sure that she was deep in sleep, he pecked her temple then left their room. Walking down the hall to the medical bay, he met up with Penguin. "Penguin, I'm glad you're here."

"What's up, Captain? Where's Neo?" Penguin asked. He glanced down the hall in expectation to seeing his sister. "I thought she wouldn't let you out of her sight with them two onboard and with that orb on your forehead."

"She was sleepy. She's in our room taking a nap," Law said. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Sure thing, Captain," Penguin said. "What is it?"

"It's about Neo and her naps. I told her I'd prefer it if she takes them in our room while those two men are on the sub. But you know sometimes she just falls asleep while reading and in other places," Law said and Penguin nodded. "If that happens, I want a crewmember, or one of the Straw Hats, to take her to our room. I also don't want her alone until she gets use to them being on board."

"Of course," Penguin said in complete understanding. "She'd get startled if she wakes up to them. That won't be good."

Law nodded. "I want to avoid her getting stressed as much as possible."

"Absolutely! I'll inform the rest of the crew immediately," Penguin said. "I'll then pop out on the deck and give this information to the Straw Hats."

"Thanks, Penguin," Law said.

"I take it your about to give Elek and Bao their exams now?" Penguin asked.

"I am," Law said.

"Try not to scare them too much," Penguin said.

"You and Neo," Law said with a frown at how similar his subordinate and wife could be at times. "Sometimes I forget you two aren't really related. How is it possible you two often have the same train of thought?"

"We just love you that much, Captain," Penguin said with a bright grin. He quickly rushed down the hall. He didn't want to annoy his captain any farther than he already did, despite knowing he could get away with it thanks to Neo. "See you later!"

"Yeah, yeah," Law grumbled. He then walked the last ten yards to the exam room where he knew the two Summoners were waiting for him. He stepped into the room. Taking in the two men as he walked over to his medical supply cabinet. Bao was curiously looking around the room while Elek was calmly leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I must say, Trafalgar, you have an impressive ship," Bao said.

"Uh huh," Law muttered. He leaned his sword against the cabinet before opening the small door. He pulled out a pair of rubber gloves. While pulling them on he also put on his most sinister look he could manage. It was the type of look he got when he was about to mess sadistically with an enemy, a look that he never used around Neo. He then turned back to his _patients._ Instantly taking joy in their obvious discomfort of his expression. He snapped one of his rubber gloves against his skin. "Let's begin. Shall we?"

…

 **Author's Notes: I am so sorry! I didn't mean to go over a month without updating this fic. I'll try to not let that happen again.**

 **Sarge1130: I think Neo will be excited no matter what Law chances into.**

 **Apple Bloom: I know, so many questions. We'll know at some point.**


	5. To Zion P2

To Zion

Part Two

Penguin hummed to himself as he continued to make his rounds around the sub to inform the crew about taking Neo to her and the captain's room if she fell asleep. He had informed everyone that was inside of the sub, but some were missing, specifically, the crewmates that were missing where Shachi, Bepo, Tero, and Topaz. Everyone else was inside talking and preforming duties they had been assigned. So he figured his missing crewmates were out on the deck. Most likely talking to the Straw Hats or possibly even fishing. But with everything that was going on, and with the Summoners currently busy with their physical examinations with the captain, he figured they were talking with the Straw Hats about the Summoners. After all the rest of the crew was talking about the two new men as well. And every one of them paused with a cautious glance at him when he entered into the room, thinking it was the Summoners instead. It was the same exact look that he got the second he stepped out on the deck of the ship, except for Bepo who was lying on the deck taking a nap. He never could figure that bear out when it came to his naps. But then it was a nice day out and that usually got the bear wanting to take a nap. He rolled his hidden eyes at the bear and then at everyone else. He then said, "Don't worry. Our two guests are still with the captain in the medical bay. They probably won't be out here for a while since the captain is going to be _extremely_ thorough with his exams."

Penguin noticed that Luffy, Robin, Chopper, and Sanji were the only Straw Hats that were actually on the sub's deck with his crewmates standing with them. The rest of the Straw Hats were hanging out near the railing of their own ship, looking down at their friends while talking about the two new men invading their favorite girl's home.

"It's good to hear that he's going to be so thorough in his exams," Chopper said in a serious tone. He then smiled. "But that's no surprise. He's always like that with her, especially since she's pregnant."

"How is she doing?" Sanji asked after releasing smoke from his lips. "Is she under much stress?"

"Unfortunately, she is," Penguin said. He held up and waved his hands when his Straw Hat friends gave him a worried look. "Don't worry. I just meant that she's taking a nap right now. You know she gets sleepy when she's been under stress."

"That's good," Chopper said with a relieved sigh. "For a second there I thought something serious had gone wrong."

"It'll be good for her to nap right now," Robin said. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back on the railing. "She'll be able to release some of that stress and better adjust to having those two onboard."

"Maybe," Tero said. With his back to the railing, he pressed his elbows onto it and looked at Topaz. "If nothing unexpected comes her way."

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Topaz asked.

"Come on, Top," Shachi said with a mischievous grin. He elbowed her in the arm. "Neo saw the look you two were giving each other, but she hasn't caught onto the meaning of it yet. It's only a matter of time before she does."

"Don't play innocent with us, girl. "We know you find that man, Elek, attractive. Despite being focused on the two Summoners, a lot of us picked up on that," Tero said. "And like Shachi said, it's only a matter of time before Neo figures that out. And it won't be very long if you interact with him a lot while they're on the sub."

"Good grief!" Topaz threw her hands up in the air. "So what if I find him attractive?! I know how Neo feels about us getting involved with strangers! You don't have to worry about that! I'll be careful! Besides we just met them! It's not like I'm going to jump into bed with him! I'm not like you _men_!"

"Hey! What's that suppose to mean?!" Shachi demanded.

"Oh, please! You men are always running off to bed with a woman!" Topaz shot back with a smirk. "It's like that's the _only_ thing on your perverted minds!"

"So we like women!" Shachi said.

"Great comeback, Shachi," Tero said while running his hand over his face at the lame comeback his friend gave out. "Topaz is correct. I was just warning her to be careful since Neo doesn't completely trust these two men. She might not ever come to trust them despite knowing they're helping the captain with this new power of his."

"I know," Topaz said. "I can tell she doesn't full trust them. But, anyway, did you want something, Penguin? Or did you come out here to hang out with us?"

"Both. I do want something. I've been going around the sub informing the crew on some orders the captain gave out to me a little while ago," Penguin said. "He wants us, including you Straw Hats, to keep a close eye on Neo. He doesn't want her alone with the Summoners at any point in time. And if she happens to fall asleep somewhere, he wants someone to take her back to their room so she doesn't have to wake up to the strangers in her home. It's just to minimize the stress on her. Understand?"

"Right!" Luffy nodded with a smile. "We'll take good care of her!"

"That's going to be easy for you four. Considering you four will be the ones over there the most," Zoro said from the Sunny. "Have fun with that."

"Shut up, you stupid swordsman!" Sanji growled. "You'll be over here at some point in time too! And you better take care of our girl if she needs you!"

"Yeah, yeah," Zoro said. He turned his back to Sanji, leaned against the railing, and dug his pinky finger into his ear.

"Don't turn away from me when I'm talking to you!" Sanji said.

"Chill, bro," Franky said. "You know Zoro loves Neo as much as the rest of us do. He'll probably be the first one to take her to her room."

"I will not!" Zoro protested.

"Sure, sure," Franky said with a wave of his hand.

"At any point in time, if Neo needs me to come play my violin for her, I would be more than glad to do it," Brook said with a low bow.

"Thanks, Brook," Penguin said. He walked over to the railing, right beside Robin, and sat up on it. "I'll be sure to pass that along to her when she wakes up. She loves how relaxing your songs are."

"Do you think it would be best if we stayed the night over here on the sub?" Robin asked. "That is, if it's alright with your captain and you have the space for us."

"That might be a good idea," Penguin said with a thoughtful nod. "Neo's going to need all the support she can get. She and Topaz still have to get those orb things on their foreheads."

"Hm." Topaz hummed and placed her fingertips to her forehead. "I should probably talk to Elek and Bao about that some more. From what we saw with the captain it doesn't look like there's going to be any kind of pain involved. But Neo's still not going to like having to wear one of them and she definitely not going to like having them get so close to her to put it on."

"She'll be fine," Tero said. "Stop stressing out over all of this. Just relax."

"How can you be so calm?" Sanji asked with a light glare at Tero.

"Because I know we don't need to baby Neo," Tero replied. "The crew and you Straw Hats have a bad habit of doing that. I'm only here to make sure you guys don't go overboard. She's a big girl who can handle herself a lot better than you all give her credit for."

"Hey! We don't baby her!" Luffy protested.

"Please. _You_ are one of the ones who baby's her the most. You have a bad habit of always holding her hand when you two are together. I seriously have no idea how the captain hasn't fried you yet for that," Tero said with a finger pointing accusingly at the Straw Hat captain causing the rubber man to blink curiously at the man's gesture. "But I suppose that's to be expected since she's the goddaughter of Red Haired Shanks. And the man did have a huge impact on your life."

"That's right!" Luffy said with a huge grin. "Neo's my friend! And I'm going to do whatever I can to protect her! I'm always going to hold her hand!"

"Tra probably hasn't done anything to Luffy and the cook because Neo loves them so much," Robin said with her typical calm smile.

"I suppose you're correct," Tero said with a defeated sigh. "She has bonded with you guys after all. And you, Straw Hat, Blackleg, and Chopper are clearly the closest to her."

"That's right!" Bepo cried out in his sleep. "They all love her!"

Robin smiled and nodded in agreement to the bear.

"How long do you think she's going to sleep for?" Sanji asked.

"It's kind of hard to tell," Penguin replied. "It really all depends on how tired she is and how stressed out she is. But if I had to take a guess, and since it's about nine fifty right now, she'll probably sleep through lunch."

"I'll make sure Basil and I have something for her when she does wake up," Sanji said. He looked up towards the sky. "And since it's such a nice day, I'm going to suggest to her that we have a cook out."

"Another one?" Shachi asked.

"We just had several while on the beach," Brook said.

"I know. But it might be best for the first meal she shares with the Summoners to have it be outside," Sanji said.

"I see. That's a good suggestion," Brook said with a nod. "I can play my music for her at the same time you all are cooking."

"Now that sounds like a plan," Sanji said with a smile.

"Yeah! Meat! I wanna help cook!" Luffy cheered.

"No way!" Sanji slammed his foot into Luffy head. "If you help we'll never have anything to eat! Heck! We'll never have anything to cook! You'd eat it before we could get it on the grill!"

"But I wanna help!" Luffy said.

"I said no!" Sanji growled.

…

"All done," Law said. He pulled off his glove, purposefully snapping them to make Bao jumped at the sound. He mentally grinned at the pale expression that Bao now wore from his examination. His eyes wondered over to Elek, who had just pulled back the curtain to his own private exam area. The older man wasn't pale but his stiff expression and movements told him that he didn't enjoy the examination either.

"That was…" Bao said as he straightened out his clothes with shaky hands. "…not necessary, now was it?"

"All of that was necessary," Law said. He dropped his gloves into the wastebasket before stepping over to the skin to wash his hands. "I'm very thorough when it comes to the health of the men and women who board my ship."

"I find it hard to believe that all the men and women on this ship when through an exam like _that_ ," Bao grumbled while glaring at Law's back.

Law, feeling the young man's glare, tossed a sadistic smirk over his shoulder at him. He said, "If you want I could order you another exam every single day you're on _my_ ship."

"Y-you can't do that!" Bao protested. A cool drop of sweat ran down his forehead upon realizing that this captain could in fact do that. He and Elek were guests after all.

"My ship, my rules," Law said before turning back to the sink.

"I'm really, really going to hate riding with you pirates, aren't I?" Bao asked.

"That all depends on you," Law said. He shut off the sink, dried his hands, and then headed for to door after grabbing his sword. He shot a glance back at the two men, his sadistic smirk still present on this face. "You're free to do whatever you wish of course. But if you chose to not follow the rules then we're going to have a problem. You're already pushing it with Neo. But the choice is still up to you." He then left without hearing another word from them.

"He doesn't give me the impression we'll be just fine," Bao grumbled.

Elek, for the most part, ignored his younger companion. He too didn't think that exam, everything about it, was necessary. He knew there was no way this captain would actually put his new crewmembers through everything that he just put them through. He sensed that something else caused this captain to react the way he did with them. He knew most of it had to do with Neo. But he wasn't completely sure it was all because of her solely. He sensed that something else was going on here. And he had already formulated a theory on what that something else was. However, he wasn't going to say anything about it, at least not yet. For one, he wasn't a hundred percent sure his theory was correct. And for another, he knew it would only cause more trouble if he did bring his theory up with anyone here. So he chose to remain quiet for now. He turned to his friend and asked, "So what are you going to do now?"

"After that? I'm going to go take a nap," Bao said while he trudged towards the door in sluggish strides. "What are you going to do?"

"I might wonder around the sub for a while," Elek said. "I want to make sure I'm familiar enough with it so I don't get lost."

"You're always so thorough when it comes to things like that," Bao said before releasing a tired sigh. "But whatever. I'll see you later."

"Right," Elek said as he followed the younger man out of the room. "Behave yourself when you wake up from your nap."

"Will you stop treating me like a child?" Bao shot a glare over his shoulder.

"I'll treat you as such as long as you keep acting without thinking," Elek said with a smirk.

Bao frowned at him. He forced himself to not reply to his older friend and just continued to trudge forward towards the crew's quarters.

Elek chuckled as he watched his friend disappear down the hall. He then turned in the opposite direction and started to take in every detail of the sub that he could.

…

Law was still glowing from his treatment of the Summoners as he walked through the sub. He knew he went a little bit overboard on their treatment, but he was going to drive it home that he was in charge here on the sub and they were going to respect that. He figured that Elek got the message from his examination, but he still had his doubts about Bao. But whatever happened, he was going to have some fun with them either way. He paused when he finally reached the door to their bedroom. He could feel Neo sleeping just inside of the room. It made his sadistic nature disappear at the mere thought of her and feeling her so close to him. She always has been able to calm him down, even back when they weren't a couple. He could also feel that she, despite being asleep, could sense that he was finally there and was starting to wake up a little so she could greet him once he had joined her. Before going inside, he made sure that all of the tension and sadistic hostilities he had towards the Summoners was completely gone. Once it was officially all out of his system, he grabbed the door handle and entered into their room. The lights were off, but there was some light filtering into the room from underneath the curtain that was over the porthole.

He smiled when his eyes landed on his lover sleeping peacefully in their bed. She had moved her pillow close to his side of the bed and was hugging his own pillow to her chest as if it was a substitute for him until he got there. Closing the door with a soft click, he walked over to their bed. He placed his sword against the wall before dropping his hat onto the nightstand and himself on the bed. He then took off his boots. By the time he scooted back on the bed, Neo has woken up enough to give him back his pillow and give him a sleepy smile. He returned the smile with one of his own as he laid down beside her. He said, "See? That didn't take too long. Now did it?"

"Only because I was asleep," Neo said tiredly. She shifted closer to him and snuggled into the warmth of his familiar chest. "And I still missed you."

Law chuckled before pressing a kiss into her soft hair. He breathed in her sweet scent, letting himself become intoxicated by it. "I know you did. I missed you too. But I'm here now. And we can nap together now."

"Just us and our baby?" Neo asked, turning her sleepy eyes up to his.

"Just us and our baby," Law parroted.

"Good. Now kiss me," Neo said.

"Yes, ma'am," Law said before lowering his lips onto hers.

Tiredly, but hungrily, she kissed him back. She drank in the familiarity of his warm lips and tongue for several seconds before the lack of air and sleepiness took over her body. She reluctantly pulled back and yawned before saying, "I want to take this up later when I'm more coherent."

"Yes, love. Whatever you want," Law said. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer to him. He held her comfortably as she exhaled and drifted back off to sleep in the comfort of his warm embrace. For a while, he stayed up and watched her sleep. He felt like he needed to and he really wanted to do it too. She always looked so peaceful while sleeping. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought she never had such a turbulent past. And he still found himself amazed by how gently and care she was considering that turbulent past. He was always so grateful that he found her. He couldn't imagine his life without her now. He had grown to need her just as much as she needed him, and not just because of their bond through her magic. Even if that didn't exist, he knew they would still act the way they do. They would still miss each other when separated, need to be beside each other, would feel completely empty if the other weren't around, feel each other's pain, and would die with the other whatever the circumstances were. They were just that bonded with each other. And now with their baby on the way, their bond had grown even more.

Law slipped his hand from her side down to her stomach. His heart thundered with excitement at feeling her rounding stomach. He was ready for their child to get here. But he knew they still have four more months before that could happen. For now he had to settle for the way their baby was and through ultrasounds. He had his impatient moments, but knew time would fly by faster than it seemed to be. With a satisfied sigh, he closed his eyes and joined his lover and child in their nap.

…

Topaz hummed to herself as she mindlessly made her way into the sub. Lost in her thoughts, she paid no attention to those around her or to where she was going. She wasn't sure why, but the words everyone said out on the deck about her and Elek were still burning through her. _So what if I find Elek attractive? He is. I can't deny that. It doesn't really mean anything else though. It's not like I'm falling in love with him. We hardly know each other. Sheesh! The others are just being paranoid. I can't blame them for that, but I think they went a bit far. I'm not going to do anything that will hurt Neo. She's the most important person to me in the world. And nothing's going to change that. Besides, we're only going to be with the Summoners for a short period of time. It's not like we can get involved in a serious relationship anyway. There's nothing to worry about._ She lifted her eyes just before plowing into a solid force. She stumbled backwards until firm hands grabbed her shoulders, stabilizing her on her feet. "Ouch. Sorry about that."

"Oh, Topaz," Elek said, bring the fire Elemental's eyes up to him. "It was my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Hey, Elek. I wasn't really watching where I was going either," Topaz said. Her eyes dropped down to his hands that were still on her shoulders. Her heart thumped hard in her chest at his warm, strong touch burning through her boiler suit. _He has such strong hands._ She mentally shook her head at the thought. It didn't matter. She was around a lot of guys who had strong hands. And he did mention before that he worked on ships. So of course he was going to be strong. "Did you need something?"

"No, everything is just fine," Elek replied, he pulled his hands away from her shoulders and tucked them into his pants pockets. "I was just going over the sub again. I wanted to make sure I remembered where everything is."

"I see," Topaz said. "You're very into gathering information, aren't you?"  
"Yeah." Elek nodded. "I've been that way since I was a kid."

"So where's Bao?" Topaz asked. She looked past the man's shoulder to see if Bao was somewhere behind him. "Is he looking around too?"

"No, he's back in the room you guys let us occupy," Elek said. "He's a bit worn out from Trafalgar's exam."

"Sorry about that," Topaz said, bringing her eyes back to him. "Despite how he acts, he doesn't really mean any harm. Just don't hurt Neo. If you do, then you'll experience a whole new level of pain. Trust me. I've seen him do it before."

"Not to contradict you, but I think he means plenty of harm to us," Elek said. "Or, at the very least, he wanted to show that he was boss around here."

"Yeah," Topaz said. "But he really is a lot nicer than you might think. He's just very protective of Neo."

"I can easily see that," Elek said. "And I have no doubt that we would experience a high level of pain from that man if we did hurt Neo during this time."

Topaz lifted an eyebrow at him. His words set off warning bells in her mind. _Did he notice that Neo was pregnant? Surely not since Neo hasn't show any pregnancy symptoms around him yet. But it's obvious he's very good at noticing things. So it's possible that he'll notice at some point in time. We'll have to be careful around him. He might learn things the captain doesn't want him to know._ "Oh, there was something that I did want to talk to you about."

"And what's that?" Elek asked.

"It's about the orbs you're going to be putting on us later," Topaz said.

"What about them?" Elek asked, tilting his head slightly to his right in curiosity.

"Well, it's more of a request than anything else," Topaz said, doing her best to ignore how cute she thought the curious look on his face was and how it made her heart skip a beat. "As I know you've noticed, Neo isn't good with new people. Over the few days we're going to be traveling with you, she'll come to accept you two a little bit more, but I would like you to be the one who puts the orb on her instead of Bao."

"I'm not surprised at your request," Elek said.

"It's just that you're far more calmer than Bao is. She'll respond better to that," Topaz said. "And he's made it very clear that he thinks Neo is cute and is going to push boundaries with her and the captain."

"Yeah, I know he will," Elek said. "I'll talk to him again later about that and try to curb his desire to push buttons and boundaries. But I can't make any promises. He's pretty stubborn and free willed."

"I can understand that," Topaz said with a nod. "But if he does try something inappropriate the captain won't stand for it. He's killed for Neo before and he'll do it again, especially if she gets hurt. And you can also bet that the punishment for making her cry is just as severe. You'll regret it."

"I understand," Elek said. "I promise to do my best in keeping Bao in line."

"Great," Topaz said. "We'll try to run interference with him as well. Neo's rarely ever alone anyway. Well, I have some things to take care of. See you later."

"All right," Elek said. He stepped to the side to allow Topaz to pass by him.

"Oh, we're having a cook out later," Topaz said, turning back to the man. "But if you or Bao get hungry before then you can ask Basil for something. He's usually in the galley. If you can't find him, feel free to help yourselves to whatever you find."

"Thanks," Elek said. "I'll pass that along to Bao."

Topaz waved to the man before disappearing around the corner. She released a sigh of relief when she was finally out of the man's view. Thought she wasn't exactly sure why she felt so much relief to be away from him. Shaking it from her mind, she proceeded down the halls.

…

Neo snuggled closer to Law's warm chest as she started to wake back up to the world around her. Sleepily, she tugged on his shirt, buried her face in it, and said, "I don't wanna wake up."

Law, already having been awake for several minutes before her, chuckled at her childlike cuteness while she crossed one of her legs over his in an attempt to get closer to him in her half awake state. He said, "You don't have to. You can still sleep for a while longer."

"But if I don't then it'll be even longer before I get to kiss you again," Neo said.

"So what do you want to do then?" Law asked. He brushed the back of his fingers against her arm. He trailed them down over her soft skin before going back up to her shoulder.

"I want you to kiss me," Neo said. Just as Law leaned down, she tilted her chin up to him and their lips met in a tender kiss. She hummed into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her as she laid back on the bed. She fiddled with his hair while he continued to run his hand up and down her side. At the same time, they parted their lips, letting their tongues tangle together in a slow, tantalizing dance before a rumble of her stomach and an intense craving for an apple made her groan in aggravation. "Why now?"

"Because you've just woken up and you haven't eaten much today because of everything that's happened," Law said, placing gentle kisses over her face and ignored her shared desire to have an apple with him. "You should eat an apple. You slept right through lunch. Penguin brought a plate for me and you didn't even noticed he came in here."

Neo's eyes flittered over to the nightstand, sure enough there was an empty plate and a cup sitting there. She brought her eyes back to his. Pouting she said, "But I want kisses."

"You'll get them still," Law said. He then pulled back from her, taking his warmth and earning a deep frown from her. He fixed his pillow behind him, lean against it, and then patted his lap. "Come here, love."

Neo climbed onto his lap and stole a kiss from him.

"Now, grow yourself an apple," Law ordered.

"Okay," Neo said. She did as she was told then held the bright red fruit up to him while giving him the most innocent look she could manage with fluttering eyelashes. "Will you start it for me?"

Law chuckled at her innocence but sunk his teeth into the flesh of the apple nonetheless.

"You're so sweet," Neo cooed at him. She pecked his apple flavored mouth before setting out to quickly devour her apple treat. "Yummy! It's so good!"

"You were a lot more hungry than you thought," Law said as he placed kisses on her cheek and neck. He smiled when some of the apple's juice ran down her chin. Before she could wipe it away he drug his tongue along the small juice river, earning a pleasurable shiver and moan from his lover. He pressed his lips to her neck, right on her pulse. "You taste very good covered in apple juice."

Neo giggled and swallowed her last bite of apple before saying, "Shall I grow a few more then?"

"It's not necessary," Law mumbled against her skin before sucking hard on her soft spot, earning a gasp from her. "You taste good enough like you are."

"Luck me then," Neo said. She hummed as Law kept sucking on her tender neck before tilting her head to give him better access to her. "But I sense a hidden motive here."

"And you would be correct," Law said. He released her neck to peck her lips. "I'm going to mark _my territory_ so _that guy_ can see that you belong to _me_."

"You're so cute when you get jealous and possessive," Neo said.

Law only hummed in response as he went back to working his lips over her neck. His hands moved slowly over her body, casually snaking one under her shirt until he reached her mounds. Just as he started to lift up her bra to feel her flesh there was a knock at the door. He growled at the interruption and quickly with drew his hand. "Seriously?"

"That's how it is when you have such a big crew as we do," Neo said with a giggle. "The interruptions are bound to happen a lot. Besides, you didn't order them to stay away, did you?"

"No, I didn't," Law grumbled at his mistake.

"Hello! Neo, my sweet little fairy!" Sanji's voice then came, muffled through the door. "I've brought you a wonderful little snack!"

"But then my orders wouldn't have mattered since it's a Straw Hat that's interrupting us," Law muttered in a highly annoyed fashion.

"You poor baby," Neo said. She pecked his lips before climbing off of him to answer the door. She smiled upon seeing the blonde haired cook. "Hello, Sanji."

"Ah, Neo! You're just so lovely after taking a nap! You look so refreshed and vibrant!" Sanji said with hearts in his eyes. He then held out the tray he was holding for her with a dashing smile. "My dear, I bring you your favorite snack."

"Thank you, Sanji," Neo said. She reached for the tray but Sanji's hand grabbed her hand before she could touch it. "Huh?"

"I could never allow you to carry this," Sanji said. He pecked the back of her hand with a gentle kiss. "Please, allow me."

"You're sweet," Neo said just as he released her hand and walked into the room. "But that's really not necessary. It was nice enough for you to bring it to me."

"Think nothing of it," Sanji said. He placed the tray down on the nightstand then turned back towards Neo. "I figured you'd want to spend as much time alone with Law as you could with these two newbies on board. So I brought it to you."

"Great," Law said, a displeased frown on his lips. "Now get out."

"Hold your horses," Sanji said. "There was something else I am in here for."

"What's that?" Neo asked. She walked back over to Law and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I was talking with some of the others about supper," Sanji said. "Since this is going to be your first meal with Elek and Bao onboard we thought it would be best if we had a cook out on the decks of our ships. That way you're not crowded in a small room like the galley. You can get to know them a bit more before going into smaller rooms with them. If that's all right with you two, that is."

"What do you think, Neo?" Law asked.

"I suppose that would work," Neo said. "I could fly over to the Sunny and just observe them two from there until I feel like being closer to them."

"Great! I'll tell the others that's what we're going to do!" Sanji headed for the door. "That is, if we can keep Luffy from eating everything."

"Of course you can do that," Neo said. "You've very good at controlling your kitchen when he's around."

"I have my moments," Sanji said. He winked at Neo before closing the door behind him.

"A cook out sound so great right now," Neo said. She lifted her eyes to the ceiling and pondered on what all the two other cooks of their crews were going to make. "I hope they cook up a lot of fish, maybe some sea pig meat, grilled bananas sound really good too, shish kabobs, cheesecake, and some-"

"Okay, okay," Law said, cutting her off. "You want just about everything we have."

"I can't help it. I'm pregnant," Neo said, shooting Law a playful look.

"I know. You can start with the snack Blackleg brought you," Law said. Taking her hand in his, he pulled her back to his lap and kissed her neck. "And while you do that, I'll get busy with what I was doing before we were interrupted."

"Good," Neo said. Summoning a wind crystal, she floated her treat over to her. Hungrily and impatiently to get more attention from Law, she quickly devoured her snack then turned her full attention to Law. She allowed him to do whatever to her body. Mostly, he just sucked mercilessly over her neck, but he couldn't help letting his hands and his lips wonder over her body. She knew he wasn't kidding about proving to Bao that she belonged to him and only him. Not only did he leave love bites on her neck, six total, but also left several others on her body so she ended up a total of fifteen love bites. But Bao and everyone else would only see the six on her neck. Chopper would be the only one outside of her and Law who saw the rest of her love bites if they took another bath together.

Once she had her clothes back on, Neo leaned into Law's arm as the two left their room together. She had her left hand tucked into his and had her right hand placed on the crook of his elbow. While they walked down the hall, Law felt very satisfied and proud at the markings he left on his lover's body. She poked him in the ribs and said, "Don't look so smug."

"I can't help it," Law said. "I love laying claim to you."

"And I love it when you do that," Neo said. "But you still don't have to look so smug about it. Everyone knows I'm yours."

"True. I'm just driving it home to Bao," Law said. "Though I have to be honest and say I almost wish he would make a move on you. That way I can severe his body up and hide them in different parts of the sub."

"Oh, stop feeding your sadistic side," Neo said, poking him in the rib with her finger. "I know you'll do a lot more than that. You'll keep _certain_ body parts, one in particular, close by and torture him mercilessly with it."

"Indeed," Law said, his lips curling into a smile that reminded Neo of a predator on the prowl for food. But this predator wouldn't be killing for food. He'd be killing for blood and sadistic revenge.

"Oh, don't smile like that," Neo said with a pout. "I don't like it."

"Sorry, love." Law pressed a kiss into her hair.

"Good evening, Captain and Neo," Bepo then said when he rounded a corner to join his superiors.

"Bepo!" Neo squealed at the sight of the white mink.

"Did you and baby have a good nap?" Bepo asked.

"We sure did," Neo said with a nod. "Especially when Law came to sleep with us."

"I'm glad," Bepo said.

"So where are the others?" Law asked. "They outside already?"

"Yeah." Bepo nodded. "The Straw Hats spotted a great place for us to anchor for the night. We're off a very small rock formation. Franky had put a gangplank out so that we can cross back and forth between the two vessels. He tied it in place so no one has to worry about falling into the water."

"That was nice of him," Neo said. "Now the crews don't have to stay on one ship or the other. We can mingle a bit, although that does give those other two the same option. Hm…I guess it doesn't matter. I can easily remove them if they annoy me."

"That's my girl," Law said with a rewarding kiss to her hair.

"Shall we go then?" Bepo then asked.

"Yup!" Neo nodded. "I'm starving!"

Bepo and Law chuckled as she grabbed them and pulled them towards the entrance of the sub. Before long the delicious smells and spices, the laughter, and music from the crews reached them and filled the silent sub. Then they reached the door. Stepping out they were greeted by the smiling faces of everyone, even the Summoners seemed to be enjoying themselves for the moment as the sun touched the edge of the water in preparation to set for the night. The two crews were scattered over both of the decks, a few were even on the upper deck with the mast of the sub, some were dancing to Brook's, and the Heart Pirates' musicians, were providing them.

"I didn't know this was going to be a party," Law said, examining the chaos before him.

"What? Of course it's a party!" Luffy said. "Why wouldn't it be a party?! We're celebrating after all!"

"Celebrating what?" Bepo asked, but Luffy didn't answer as he ran off to rejoin the fun.

"Apparently nothing," Law said.

"Luffy doesn't need a reason to party," Neo said. "Or maybe any reason is a reason to party for him."

"That's true," Penguin said, walking up to the three. "It's because of him that the musicians got out their instruments."

"I'm not surprised," Neo said. She looked at the other two cooks between their crews. Sanji and Basil were happily frying up a lot of food between the two grills they had and having discussions on what type of spices they were using to cook their food. They were definitely in their element at the moment. She then noticed there was also a couple of wooden tables that she was sure Franky threw together in the last minute that had their banquet spread out on it. And much to Neo's delight, a lot of the food was the stuff she named off while still in their room. She really loved having crewmates and friends who knew her so well.

"Blackleg and Basil have even been cooking a lot of your favorite foods," Penguin said. "They figured you'd want them anyway."

"And they were correct in thinking that," Neo said. She rubbed her grumbling tummy gently. "I'm so ready for that food and so is baby. It smells so good."

"Hey! Neo, my sweet!" Sanji then called. Hearts were pulsing in his eyes, as he looked her way. "We're ready to eat whenever you are! I've successfully kept Luffy away from the food just for you!"

"Yeah but you didn't have to be so mean about it," Luffy said. He ran back over to Neo and put his arm around her shoulders. "Neo wouldn't have mind at all if I sampled the food."  
"She would have because your sampling is eating the entire thing in one bite!" Sanji snapped.

"So?" Luffy asked.

"What do you mean so?!" Sanji demanded. "You would have eaten it all!"

"Naw! We could have caught more!" Luffy said with a smile. "Bao already caught such a big sea pig!"

"Bao did?" Neo asked, feeling annoyed at the very mention of the man.

"That's correct, Princess," Bao said.

"Don't call me that!" Neo snapped. Dark thunderclouds rolled in at her anger, releasing several sharp collapses of thunder.

"Easy, Neo," Law said. _'Think of our baby. Don't let this jerk upset you anymore.'_ He stepped in between his annoyed lover and the one who annoyed her so much. His eyes bore into the young man, revealing a storm of their own while Neo's slowly vanished with her calm breathing. "This is your last chance. I'm not going to tell you again to stay away from her until she's ready to have you close. If you don't, I give you my word that I will severe your body and you will learn the real definition of pain."

 _'I know. I'm sorry. He just surprised me by calling me that.'_ Neo took in a couple slow deep breaths while Bepo and Penguin made circles on her back with his paw and his hand. "Thanks, guys."

"Any time," they said.

"Am I understood?" Law asked.

"Yes," Bao said, his eyes running over the blackish blue marks on Neo's neck. Holding up his hands, he slowly backed away from the pirates to lean against the railing beside Elek. "Okay, I'm leaving."

Law watched him walk away, and most likely got reprimanded again by Elek as the older man started talking to him with kneaded eyebrows, before turning back to Neo. "Come on. Let's get you something to eat."

"Yeah." Neo nodded.

"Neo, your blood pressure isn't up, is it?" Chopper asked as he ran over to his friend, his concerned eyes locking with hers.

"No, it's fine, Chopper," Neo said. "I'm sorry I got so upset. I didn't mean to. It's just not very easy with all these pregnancy hormones running wild and new people on board."

"It's all right," Chopper said. He looked up at the sky just as the remainder of her dark clouds disappeared. "You're calm now. But I'd like you to take it easy. Get some food and sit down over on the Sunny. We have a comfortable chair already made up for you."

"Really?" Neo asked.

"We do." Chopper nodded. "We set it up a few minutes ago. And we're not going to let the Summoners on the Sunny while you're there."

"That's so sweet of you," Neo said.

"Neo!" Basil then called out.

"What's up?" Neo turned to the man to find he was holding two plates of food, one for her and one for Law. Right beside him was Robin who was not only holding her own plate of food and drink, but also two other cups for herself and Law in two of her extra hands she formed. "Your Devil Fruit comes in so handy at times."

"It sure does." Robin smiled. "Shall we eat then?"

"Definitely!" Neo nodded. She summoned a wind crystal while she and Law took their plates from Basil. She then wrapped her winds around their small group and moved them over to the deck of the Sunny. Her eyes widened when they landed upon a bunch of pillowed piled together on a wooden chair, which would hold ten people easily, that she suspected Franky made for her.

"Isn't it super?" Franky asked. "Took only twenty seconds to throw it together. It would have taken less time if Luffy didn't bother me while I was making it."

"It's wonderful," Neo said. She walked up to the chair and noticed there were small holes in the wood that she figure were there for their cups to sit in. And she found she was correct when Robin started sitting their cups down in the holes for them.

"It's going to be such a great addition to the ship," Nami said. "We can sunbath on it and drink nice hot chocolate when we're close to winter islands. It's going to be great, especially during the times when we're having girl bonding times."

"That does sound great," Neo said. Her eyes then wondered back over to the sub. She noticed Topaz had ventured over to Elek and Bao. Her fire sister was talking to Elek and was enjoying herself. It bugged her. She didn't want Topaz anywhere near them two men. She didn't like seeing them together. It made her feel suddenly possessive of her sister. She almost made a move to remove Topaz from the men but stopped when Elek suddenly looked up at her. Quickly, she turned her eyes away from the man. She thought, _Did he sense me staring at him?_

 _'Easy, love. He's not going to take her away from you.'_

 _'I know. I didn't mean to get so possessive like that.'_ Neo turned her eyes to Law. She found that he had already removed his boots and was sitting on the chair waiting for her.

 _'Don't worry about it. Let's just relax here and eat.'_

"Yeah." Neo nodded. Her stomach reminding her how hungry she really was. She climbed upon the chair and moved closer to Law. She tucked herself into his side when he lifted up his arm for her. Guiding their plates to them, she banished her wind crystals and gladly dug into the spread that Basil and Sanji had set out for her on her plate. She squealed as the spices from the sea pig meat danced over her touch. "It's so good!"

"Yeah! Party time!" Luffy cried from the deck of the Polar Tang. The majority of the crews cheered happily. The music became louder as they began to enjoy their unplanned party.

Soon the mixture of the sun's colorful rays soon gave way to the night sky. Stars scattered over the dark hue, blanketing them as well as the seawater. Too tired to play their songs anymore, the musicians stopped and had joined the other festivities of the party of talking or just hanging around in the cool night air. Feeling like eating something sweet, Neo got up from the chair and walked over to the edge of the Sunny. Pausing for a moment, she scanned her eyes over the deck of the sub. Her body tensed up at the possibility of seeing Topaz with Elek again. She relaxed when she saw that Topaz was talking with Ikkaku and Elek was speaking with Jean Bart. She ran her eyes over the deck again to find Bao was taking with Uni and Clione. It still bugged her that _her_ crew, _her family_ , was talking with these strangers, but she wasn't going to let it upset her anymore. She knew it was natural for them to get to know new people on their sub, even if it was just for a short while. Before long these interlopers would be out of her home and away from her family. She just had to be patient.

"Hey, Sanji!" Neo then called out.

"Yes, my sweet fairy?!" Sanji called back.

"How about some sweets?!" Neo asked.

"Coming right up!" Sanji said. Spinning like a tornado, he gathered her up a variety of sweets then spun his way up the gangplank. "Here you go, my darling! Sweets for the sweetest woman on board."

"Thank you, Sanji," Neo said, taking the plate from him. "But I could have just floated it up here with my winds."

"Nonsense. I was happy to bring it to you," Sanji said. He took her hand in his and placed a gentle kiss upon it. "Besides, we're done cooking for now. I want to spend sometime with my favorite blue haired girl."

"Great," Neo said. "You and Basil did a lot of cooking tonight. Sorry to put you out like that."

"Now, you know it's not big deal," Sanji said as he escorted Neo back over to the chair.

"Did you get enough to eat?" Neo asked.

"I sure did," Sanji said.

"Good," Neo said. She climbed back onto the chair and reclaimed her spot beside Law. Tucking herself back into his side for a shield against the cool night air. She picked at the sweets on her plate, cakes, cupcakes, some chocolate pieces she didn't recognize, and several other small sweet decorated the place. She tasted small bites of each one and also gave Law bites of them too.

"I wonder what Zion is going to be like," Chopper then said. "Think they're all friendly there? The Summoners' powers seem very strong despite having time limits on them."

"I'm sure they're just as friendly as anyone else," Nami said.

"With those kind of powers I sure hope they aren't vengeful tricksters," Robin said.

"Must you say things like that?!" Usopp demanded. "You're going to upset Neo!"

"Not at all," Neo said. "I'm sure they're fine. I mean Elementals live there after all. Surely if the Summoners culture was a bad one they wouldn't be staying on Zion."

"Well, that's true. With the few exceptions, your people are always so friendly," Usopp said.

"I'm sure we'll have a super time!" Franky said. "Yeah! It's going to be great!"

"It would be nice to see more of my people," Neo said.

"That's the spirit!" Usopp said with a wink and a thumbs up.

Neo stared up at the sparkling sky then. Getting lost in her thoughts before the familiar feeling her of godfather calling her gained her attention. She said, "Godfather's calling me."

"Go and see him," Law said.

"What about…" Neo started.

"Don't worry about them," Law said. "They haven't dared try to come over here all night and they don't try now. If they do, I'll immediately warp you into our room."

"Thanks, love," Neo said before pecking his lips.

"Oh! You're going to see Shanks?!" Luffy asked, running over to her.

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "He's calling for me. So I'm going to see what he wants."

"Tell him I said hi!" Luffy said.

"Don't I always?" Neo smiled before tucking herself into Law's side. After she got comfortable, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift away from this reality and into their dream world.

…

 _When she opened her eyes she was met with the familiar sight of the glowing bell flowers in the open field they always met at. The only difference this time was Shanks was standing up in front of the large tree he's usually sitting at. "What's wrong, Godfather? You look a bit tense."_

" _I've just been worried about you for some reason today," Shanks said._

" _I see," Neo said. "I don't find that surprising at all."_

" _Why's that?" Shanks asked. He sat down against the tree and signaled for her to come to him._

" _Because we're traveling with two new passengers," Neo said. She walked over to him and sat down on his right side so he could put his arm around her like he often did. "I've been stressed out with them on board."_

" _You have two new crewmembers?" Shanks asked._

" _No, it's nothing like that," Neo said before filling him in on what happened. "And they have to stay on our ship incase Law loses control again."_

" _I see. So that's what's gotten you so upset," Shanks said._

" _It has," Neo said with a light nod. "I'm trying to keep myself as calm as possible for our baby's sake, but it's difficult. I'm so use to getting to know new people before Law allows them on the sub. And Bao keeps trying to push the boundary lines that Law has set up for some reason."_

" _He sounds like he has a crush on you," Shanks said._

" _Really?" Neo asked. "You think that's why he does that? He just appears annoying to me."_

 _Shanks chuckled at the cute, innocent, yet naïve look in her eyes when she looked up at him. "You still have issue with distinguishing those signs and actions from guys. I'm sure Law noticed them just fine. Well, if he causes too much trouble, just let me know and I'll come straighten him out."_

" _Thanks, Godfather." Neo wrapped her arms around his waist. "You're the best. But I think you might have to get in line if it comes to that."_

" _That's true. Your own crew and the Straw Hats will pound him for sure if he keeps this nonsense up. I do want you to let me know I anyone else happens," Shanks said. "I'm not familiar with Zion so I can't tell you anything about it."_

" _Elementals are there so it shouldn't be that bad. As long as they are friendly, I know they'll chose their princess over someone else," Neo said. "I'm just worried about Law. I hope this all turns out okay."_

" _I'm sure it will," Shanks said. He tightened his arm around Neo, holding her as close to him as he could without hurting her or her baby. "But at any point in time, if you need me, you can always call for me. You know I'll come to you in a split second. I have wind Elementals traveling with me at the moment so we can get to you in just a few days. I'll have my navigator check how far we are from Zion and have a course plotted out just in case we need to come to your aid."_

" _Sometimes I wonder if you or Law worries more about me," Neo said._

" _Well, we have the right to worry." Shanks moved his hand down to her stomach, caressing it gently with his rough, calloused palm. "I have to take care of my babies after all."_

" _And your babies are very grateful for all of the love you give us," Neo said. "Once our baby is born, you'll have to come see us some how. I know it might just be through our dream world, but I really would like it if you'd come see our baby in person. Our baby will want to meet his grandfather someday."_

" _And I would love that too," Shanks said. "We'll just have to see where we both are at the time. Who knows? We might be close enough to each other to do that."_

" _I hope so," Neo said. "And I hope you and the crew are taking care of yourselves. Who knows when the other Super Novas are going to attack?"_

" _Now, don't you worry about them," Shanks said. "They won't take us down so easy."_

" _I know," Neo said. She then winked at him with a smile. "But I'm still going to worry about you and your crew. I don't want anything to happen to any of you."_

" _So you are." Shanks pressed a kiss to her temple. "You should get back to your crew now. I need to get back as well."_

" _So soon?" Neo asked with a small pout._

" _I'm sorry. We're getting ready to go ashore on an island. And some of our enemies have been spotted in the area," Shanks said._

" _Thanks a lot for tell me that," Neo said with a frown. "Now I'm going to worry about you all for sure."_

" _I'm sorry. But I didn't really want to keep it a secret. You know we can handle them easily," Shanks said with a wink that caused Neo to smile. "There's your sweet smile. Maybe next time we can spend more time together."_

" _All right," Neo said. "Oh, I almost forgot, Luffy told me to tell you he said hi."_

" _That boy. He'd come with you here if he could," Shanks said._

" _Probably." Neo giggled, her bells filling the silence air around them._

" _Well, tell him I said hi as well," Shanks said._

 _"I will." Neo nodded. She then wrapped her arms around his waist, breathed in his familiar scent that was always mixed with booze, and then released him as they both parted from their dream world._

 _._..

"Oh!" Neo jumped when she opened her eyes to find Luffy was staring right at her, and staring at a very close distance. "Luffy!"

"So how was Shanks?!" Luffy asked.

"He's fine," Neo said. "Why are you so close to me? Shanks said hi by the way."

"I was waiting for you to come back," Luffy said. "And yeah! Shanks! He's so awesome!"

"We tried to get him away from you, but he just kept going back," Usopp said.

"I offered to warp him into the sea," Law said before taking a casual sip of his tea.

"And that was mean each time you suggested it!" Luffy said. "You know I'll drown if I go in the sea!"

"That's why I offered to do it." Law smirked.

"So how was your visit with Shanks?" Robin asked.

"Great as it always is," Neo said. "He's going to look at the maps and see how close they are to Zion. He's been worried about me since I've been stressed out these past few days. As a precaution, he's going to have his navigator plot a course to Zion just in case he needs to come to us."

"He sounds like he's had a premonition or something," Nami said.

"You think so?" Neo asked.

"Well, we are going into unknown territory with Trafalgar having unknown powers," Franky said.

"You don't think we're walking into a trap, do you?" Chopper said. "After all Neo doesn't feel completely comfortable around these two strangers."

"We'll be fine," Law said, bring everyone's eyes to him. "If these two had some plot to hurt me in some way with these Summoner powers then Neo would have sensed it. She hasn't."

"That's true," Neo said. "But there's the possibility still of me having a nightmare."

"We'll deal with that when it comes," Law said. "I trust your instincts completely. We're safe."

Neo nodded slowly.

"But, just incase," Law said, making Neo stiffen. "I'm going to ask the crew to snoop around a bit to see if they can catch Elek and Bao talking about something we really need to know about. And that includes Topaz."

"Great," Neo grumbled.

"It's just for precautions," Law said. He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to his body.

"I just want to get to Zion and get this over with," Neo said. "Would it be all right if I used my wind crystals tomorrow to push us farther along?"

Law thought over her request for a few minutes. He really didn't want her to use her crystals for an extended period of times right now, but he also knew if he didn't let her then she would stress out even more. He said, "All right. You can use your crystals a little bit tomorrow. We'll start you off using them just for an hour and see how you feel after that. But you _are not_ going to use them all day long. Am I understood?"

"Yes, love!" Neo said. She snuggled into his chest, causing his cheeks to tint pink when the Straw Hats chuckled at his predicament. "You're the best as always!"

Law let his hat drop over his eyes. He loved it when Neo cuddled with him. It just wasn't a secret he announced to the world. Outside of the crew, he still had his reputation to think about. But, as always, Neo came first to him and she always would come first even over his own pride and reputation.

…

 **Author's Notes: I'm trying to get myself and my stories organized. I thinking for this one, since the chapters are still coming out at 10,000+ each, I'm going to stick with one chapter a week for it, as long as I get them written.**


	6. To Zion P3

To Zion

Part Three

It was a nice, warm sunny day so Neo was out on the deck of the sub, pushing the two vessels along the calm waters with her wind crystals. For the past three days the wind hadn't been blowing much so Neo, with Law's approval, was using the opportunity to push them along faster. She was currently sitting on the deck, leaning against Bepo as the bear slept, while watching Luffy and Chopper hanging over the railing of the sub. The two Straw Hats had their arms stretched out wide to their sides while hanging their tongues out of their mouths, enjoying the faster pace of the ships.

"Yahoo!" Luffy cried out. "Faster! Faster!"

"Yeah! Faster!" Chopper agreed.

"You idiots!" Sanji snapped from the Sunny. "We're going fast enough! Besides, Neo's getting tired!"

Neo wanted to disagree, mostly because she was in a hurry to get to Zion, but with the yawn escaping her mouth, she had no room to argue the matter. She said, "I guess I am."

"You should take a break," Ikkaku said just as she walked out onto the deck of the sub.

"Hello, my darling Ikkaku!" Sanji chirped. "It's so great to see you!"

"Hey, Sanji." Ikkaku waved at the heart eyed man before turning her full attention back to Neo. "Some of the boys are itching to do some fishing anyway."

"All right." Neo nodded. She slowed down her winds, letting the full sails deflate, before completely banishing her crystals. She then leaned back against Bepo, letting herself drift off. "I'm going…to sleep…now."

"Aw, she fell asleep," Luffy protested as he squatted down beside his friend.

"It's good that she has. She's been doing this for over three hours," Chopper said. "And she's been doing this for the past three days too."

"We better get her to her room before the Summoners come out here," Ikkaku said. "Bao was one of the ones who wants to fish. He says he's craving some sea pig meat. He's hoping to catch one or two for dinner. Elek said he might join them too."

"I'll take her," Chopper said, transforming into his human form. Gently he slipped his arms under her same frame and stood up with her.

"I'll walk with you and get the door incase it's closed," Ikkaku said.

"Thanks a lot," Chopper said before leading the way back into the sub. Just as they stepped inside five Heart Pirates and the two Summoners greeted them with their fishing poles in their hands.

"She fell asleep again?" Bao asked. "She must really like her naps. She's taken at least one everyday since we've been on the sub."

"Yeah." Shachi shrugged. "She likes her naps."

"But never mind that," Basil said, entering the room. "If you all really want sea pig meat tonight then you need to catch it."

"Right, right," Bao said, waving his fishing pole. "We're on it."

Chopper and Ikkaku stepped aside for the men to continue on their way. At the same time, they both noticed Elek was carefully observing Neo while she slept in Chopper's arms. The reindeer and woman exchanged looks before Ikkaku said, "Something wrong, Elek?"  
"No, nothings wrong at all," Elek said with a small smile as he passed on by them. "You better get her into bed."

"That was odd," Chopper said, watching the man disappear out onto the deck.

"Do you think he knows Neo's pregnant?" Ikkaku said. "He is more observant than Bao after all. And since he's been around Elementals, it's certain that he's dealt with a pregnant Elemental at some point. He would know their signs."

"That's a possibility," Chopper said, continuing on his way through the warm sub. "I've notice he's been observing Neo a lot when she's displaying pregnancy signs just like he did now. And it's not like it's something that we can hide forever."

"You sound like you're worried about something," Ikkaku noted.

"I'm a bit concerned about this orb that the Summoners are going to have to put on Neo and Topaz," Chopper said. "I know they said it wouldn't hurt them, but what about the baby? I wonder if they need to know about her pregnancy in case they have to do something to keep the summoning powers out of Neo and Law's baby."

"Hm, I never thought of that," Ikkaku said. "And with how preoccupied the captain as been with keeping Neo's stress under control, he probably hasn't thought of that either."

"We need to find out," Chopper said.

"Well, you could always ask the Summoners," Ikkaku said.

"What?! I couldn't do that!" Chopper said, his eyes jerking towards the woman beside him. "Law and Neo don't want them to know about her pregnancy!"

"You could ask them as the doctor you are," Ikkaku said.

"Oh," Chopper said. "I never thought of that. I could ask them out of curiosity without having to reveal Neo's pregnancy to them." He blushed. "I forgot that I'm a doctor. I'll just be normal curiosity for me to ask."

"That's right!" Ikkaku nodded.

"I think I'll do that once we get Neo into her and Law's room," Chopper said.

"Speaking of which," Ikkaku said just as they reached the door they were aiming for. She opened it up for him and they stepped inside. She then hurried over to the bed and pulled down the cover for the reindeer doctor. Once he had laid Neo on the bed, she pulled the cover back up over her, tucked her in, and then quietly left the room.

"Thanks for the assistance, Ikkaku!" Chopper said with a wave as he dashed down the hall. "I'm going to go talk to Elek right now!"

"See you later then." Ikkaku waved back before heading in the opposite direction.

Chopper ran all the way back up to the deck. Ignoring the bright sunlight, he ran over to Elek and hoped upon to the railing. He said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Elek said. "What's on your mind?"  
"I've been thinking about these orbs you've been using on Law and the one's you're going to use on Neo and Topaz," Chopper said.

"What about them?" Elek asked.

"I know you have said they don't hurt anyone, but do they cause any kind of affects on their bodies over a period of time?" Chopper said. "And what if someone's pregnant? Will the orb be safe to use on the woman? Will it hurt the baby?"

"No, there haven't been any effects on a person's body, human or Elemental, if they wear the orbs for long periods of time," Elek said. "As we've stated before there are Elementals living on Zion. And to keep the summoner power out of them, they have to always wear the orbs, unless they become a Summoner as well. So plenty of Elementals have been wearing the orbs for several years. Some over a two decades."

"I see. And pregnant Elementals?" Chopper probed. "They're different from those who aren't pregnant because they have a baby inside of them. Will the orb or the other orbs hurt the baby since it's not technically on the baby?"

"Nothing happens to the baby at all," Elek said. "Both mother and baby will be just fine with the orb. And we also have some very good doctors on the island. So if anything ever did come up, which it hasn't mind you, they'll be able to handle everything just fine."

"That's a relief to hear," Chopper said, his body relaxing to the point he was dangling off the railing like a doll.

"What difference does it make?" Bao then said. He glanced over at the doctor and lifted an eyebrow at him. "It's not like anyone here's pregnant."

"Ack!" Chopper screamed. "Of…of course not! I was just asking! I'm a doctor after all! I'm just curious!"

"Of course, of course," Elek said with a small laugh. "I know you'll be curious about the orbs and how they affect people. As you said, you are a doctor after all. So feel free to ask me anything about the orbs or even the summonings at any time. I'm more than happy to answer any questions you all might have. You can also talk to the doctors once we get to Zion if you have more concerns or questions that I might not be able to answer. They'll be more than willing to share all of our medical data with you."

"That's great," Chopper said. "I might go see them. I am a bit more curious to how the summons thing affect a person's body."

"Hey! Chopper! Come fish with us!" Usopp then said. "They're biting a lot today! We've already caught a dozen!"

"Okay!" Chopper jumped off the railing and ran over to Luffy and Usopp who were both sitting on the railing of the sub with their fishing poles in the water and their pile of twelve fish in the bucket they had with them. "Wow! You really did catch twelve! This is great!"

"Yeah, but no sea pig yet," Luffy whined. "I hope we get one."

…

"What was that all about?" Bao asked as he watched the Straw Hat pirates. "Why suddenly bring up questions like that?"

"It's been a long few days," Elek said with a smile. "I'm sure they'll have plenty more questions for us, especially when we get to Zion and Trafalgar starts training with his summoner powers. They're all just starting to get more comfortable around us. It's natural that things will come out more."

"Hm?" Bao turned his eyes to his friend Elek. He couldn't help but notice the odd smile his friend worn on his face. It was like the older man had a secret that he wasn't sharing. "What's up with you? You look like you know something that I don't."

"I don't really know anything at this point," Elek said with a light shrug. "Just continue fishing. It'll all work out in the end."

"Whatever." Bao huffed and turned his attention back to his fishing pole. "I'm going to catch the biggest sea pig ever. That'll impress Neo."

"You have got to be kidding me," Elek said, finally bring his eyes to his friend. He lifted an eyebrow at his younger friend, thinking how insane his younger companion really was. "You just don't give up, do you?"

"What?" Bao asked.

"You really need more training in learning how to observe the environment around you," Elek grumbled.

"Are you talking about my crush on Neo?" Bao asked. "I'm not doing this because of that. I'm just trying to become her friend now."

"Sure you are," Elek said. "Bao, Neo's not the type to be impressed by the size of fish you catch. You need to _earn_ her trust."

"That's what I'm trying to do." Bao jiggled his fishing pole. "She's an Elemental. She'll have to be impressed with my catch."

"You are a moron," Elek said. "If you want to earn her _friendship_ then stop trying to hit on her and impress her. You have to show her that you don't mean any harm to her or her loved ones. Your usual tactics of trying to impress a girl are not going to work on her."

"You can't be serious," Bao said, setting a look of determination on his face while he watched the calm surface of the sea. "Of course this is going to work. You'll see."

"I'm tempted to let Trafalgar cut you into a million pieces," Elek said with a sigh. He forced himself to let it go. Bao was just going to have to learn the hard way. He's done all he could to stop his young friend.

…

 _"Huh?" Neo blinked at the dark world that surrounded her. The only light was beaming directly down from above her, giving her the ability to only see within three inches in front of her. "What's going on? Where am I? Law? Topaz? Chopper? Is anyone here?"_

 _Her voice echoed in the darkness. Yet no one answered her. She took a few steps forward, looking around carefully, trying to sense if someone was in the darkness with her. She didn't feel anything. Then small sounds of some kind of popping began to fill the eerie darkness around her. It was gun shots._

 _She started to walk forward, confused at what was going on until she finally sensed Law near by. She rushed towards him in the dark. When she felt him five feet in front of her, the light that was around her expanded to include him. She tucked herself into his chest. "Oh, Law! I was so scared! I didn't know where I was! Law?" She looked up at him. A startled gasp escaped her mouth when she saw he had no face. His eyes, his nose, his lips, his eyebrows, and his goatee were all missing. She stumbled back from him, hands over her mouth. "Law, what happened to you?! What's going on?!"_

 _The ratatata sounds of bullets flying through the air came closer to her. She jumped and tucked herself back into Law's chest. Then sounds of a battle broke out around them, unfamiliar voices screamed out, swords clanked together, panic settled in. "Law! We have to go!"_

 _A piercing scream rang out into the air._

 _"Topaz!" Neo shouted. She looked around but all she could still she was darkness. Blood flowed into the air making her feel nauseous and worried for her sister. "Law! Please! I want to go home! Take me home! This isn't real! This is just a nightmare! I don't want to be here anymore! I want to go home!"_

"Law…please," Neo said in her sleep. She gripped the covers, her nails almost piercing the fabric in her hold. "I want to go home. Law…Law!"

"Neo, wake up," Law called. He grabbed her shoulders, hoping his touch or voice would wake her up. "I'm here. I'm right here."

"Law!"

"Neo, wake up!" Law said more forcefully. "Come on! It's just a nightmare!"

"Ah!" Neo screamed. Her eyes opened and she was staring right into Law's concerned orbs. She shot up. Her fingers curling around his shirt when she reached for him. "Law!"

"It's all right, love," Law said soothingly while stroking her hair. "It's all right. It's over. I'm right here. You're safe."

Neo nodded. "I'm safe. You're here."

"That's right," Law said. He rocked her a little bit before he finally felt her completely calmed down. "You feel like talking about it now?"

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "It was weird. I was in a dark place with only a little light. No one was around. And I kept hearing bullets flying around. I ran to see if I could find anyone. I found you but you had no face. It scared me. Then Topaz got hit by one of the bullets. I didn't see her, but I heard her scream. Law, I was so scared."

"It's over now," Law said. "It was just a bad dream."

"But something's going to happen," Neo said, her body trembling against his. "I don't get it though. How could your face disappear like that?"

"You're just upset," Law said. "Your mind is probably just messing with you. No one's face can literally disappear like that. It's not possible. And there's been no word about a Devil Fruit that could remove someone's face."

"I know you're correct," Neo said. She looked into his eyes, pleading for safety and answers. "But what about Topaz? She's going to get shot."

"Possibly," Law said. He tightened his hold on Neo when her trembling became stronger. "She'll be fine, love. We haven't spotted any enemies for some time. But I'll have the crew keep a close eye on her and a closer eye out for incoming ships."

Neo exhaled with relief and tucked her eyes into Law's neck, breathing in his scent. Lowering her hand to his lap, she bumped into something. She looked to find there was a book on Law's leg. "You were reading?"

"I was," Law said. He leaned back against his pillow, keeping her close to him. "Tony and Ikkaku brought you in here about a hour and a half ago. I've been in here for about forty five minutes."

She reached for his hand. As soon as she made contact with his skin, she curled her fingers around his warm digits. A smile spread across her face when he placed a light kiss on her hand. "It's always nice waking up to you beside me, even if it's from a nightmare."

"That's why I'm here," Law said. "I can tell you're still a bit sleepy though."

"Yeah, I am" Neo said, closing her eyes. "I guess I over did it a little bit on using my wind crystals today. I'm just in a hurry to get to Zion. I'll feel a lot better when we get there. That nightmare really didn't help anything either."

"I know it didn't help anything. And we'll be there in Zion in three days," Law said, kissing her hand again. "Just hang on a little bit longer, my love."

"What are you reading?" Neo shifted her body so she could snuggle up against his side better and flipped the book where she could look at what he was reading. "This is one of mine books."

"Yes, it is" Law said. "You've had this book sitting on the nightstand for over two weeks. So I decided to see what all the fuss was about and why you love it so much. I'm only about a third of the way through it, but it's not bad at all."

"Good," Neo said, smiling up at him. "About time I rubbed off on you a little bit."

Law chuckled, slipping his arm lower on her body, he rested his fingers on her thigh and lightly raked his digits on her. "So what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know," Neo said, snuggling into his shirt. "I'm very content where I am right now. But I do kind of feel like taking a-" Her stomach turned. A gag forced her to stop talking. Bolting up from the bed, she dashed into the bathroom and retched everything up from her stomach.

Feeling her stomach making his own churn, Law placed her book down on the nightstand and immediately followed her. He took her hair in his hand while rubbing her back gently until her little episode had come to an end.

Neo gasped for air, her throat burning from the acid that passed through her throat. "Stupid. I hate this."

"I know," Law said. He took her hand and helped her stand up so she could rinse out her now foul tasting mouth.

Neo summoned a water crystal, sucking in the cool water, swishing it around in her mouth before spitting it out into the sink. She then gave her teeth a quick brushing before turning and tucking herself into Law's arms. "Now that that's over, I think I'm going to take a shower. I feel a bit yucky."

"You're not going to take a bath instead?" Law asked, stroking her hair.

Neo hummed. She pressed her chin to Law's chest before she looked up at him. "I'd like to, but not right now. I feel like just getting a shower done and over with."

"Doesn't this have anything to do with Bao and Elek being on board?" Law asked.

"Not really," Neo said. She squeaked when Law poked her in the side with his thumb. "Okay, a little bit. But I really do feel like getting in and getting out. I'll linger in a bath some other time. Hopefully, with my husband joining me so we can have some fun together."

"That sounds so inviting," Law said leaning down to capture her lips. He pecked them lightly then slipped his tongue inside of her dark cavern when she parted her lips for him. They wrapped their arms around each other while he slowly drug his tongue everywhere. His hands moved down her body with the intent to help her undress. But before their kiss could deep, and before he could remove a single clothing article, a knock was heard at the door of their room. Both sighed, pressing their foreheads together before they went to answer it to find it was one of their mechanics. "Yes?"

"The engine's making that clanking noise again," the mechanic said.

"Clanking noise?" Neo asked. "What clanking noise?"

"It started when you were taking your nap," Law said. "It only lasted about five minutes though."

"It's lasted about ten minutes this time," the mechanic said. "Requesting permission to cut the engines and take a look."

"Granted," Law said.

"I'll inform the rest of the crew what's going on and the Straw Hats too," the mechanic said before walking off.

"I hope it's nothing serious," Neo said with worry.

"It'll be fine," Law said, running his hands over her arms. "You go ahead and crawl in the shower. I'll go down to the engine room and keep an eye on the progress and let you know immediately what's wrong."

"All right," Neo said. "Kiss."

Law pecked her lips then left the room.

Neo sighed as she watched him go then turned and headed back to the bathroom. Reaching into the shower, she turned the water on to her favorite temperature before disrobing herself and stepping under the water. She relaxed with long sigh as the hot water ran down her flesh, washing most of her nightmare away. It made her have second thoughts about taking a shower instead of a bath. But she still wanted to hurry with her shower for some reason. Whatever it was she hoped it wasn't anything serious. Her nightmare wasn't as bad as others have been. This one was more confusing than anything, where Law was concerned. She had no idea what his missing face could possibly mean. She tried not to let it bother her. Closing her eyes, she ran her hands over her wet hair and enjoyed the water on her body for several minutes before finally picking up the shampoo.

Ten minutes later, she had finally finished her shower, but hadn't heard anything from Law yet. She stared at her reflection while dabbing her damp hair with her towel while thinking about the sub. She wanted to call out for Law, but knew that the mechanics probably haven't found the problem yet so she let them be. Hanging the towel up on the hook, she summoned her wind crystals and dried herself off before leaving the bathroom to get dressed. Stepping over to their closet, she put on her underwear and bra first before she tried to decide on what she felt like wearing. While she stared at their clothes, she ran her hand tenderly over her stomach. "What do you feel like wearing now, baby? Daddy's clothes are always nice."

Neo reached into the closest and picked up one of her shirts. There was a rather medium small size rip on the left side of the white fabric. It looked like the shirt had got caught on a nail without her realizing it. "Just great. How did that happen? When did I even wear this shirt last?"

Neo sighed. She really couldn't remember when she had last worn this shirt. It wasn't one of her top favorites. And here lately, with the two Summoners on board, all she's been wearing is Law's shirts. Her stomach was still rather small so hiding it from them was proving to be very easy. And she was still going to kept doing that, but she wasn't sure how much longer it was going to be until the Summoners figured out she was pregnant. She had been noticing Elek observing her from time to time when she was going through a mood swing or cravings. But the Summoner hasn't said anything.

She shook the thought from her head. It really didn't matter. There was nothing none of them could do if the Summoners did figure it out.

She placed her shirt back down then grabbed her a pair of shorts and Law's favorite black and yellow hoodie. Slipping them on over her underwear, she plucked her ripped shirt back up and headed out the door to see if Topaz could fix it for her. She sensed her fire sister down in the crew's quarters. Which she found a bit odd. It was about five thirty in the afternoon. Usually the crew was scattered elsewhere on the sub this time of day. Still she went down the stairs. She'd know soon enough what Topaz was doing down there.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs she could hear Topaz talking. She sounded very happy, but Neo couldn't make out what she was saying or who she was talking to. So she continued on and stepped into the hall. She clenched the shirt she was carrying against her chest when she saw Topaz was talking to Elek. Not only were they talking, but Topaz was leaning back against the wall with a bright smile on her lips and in her eyes while Elek was leaning against a mop looking just as happy. The happy look in her sister's eyes made her uncomfortable. To her it almost looked like Topaz was being a bit flirty with the Summoner man. She felt like a rock settled into her stomach at seeing how well these two were getting along. And now wasn't the only time. She had found them a couple other times getting along this well. She clenched her shirt even tighter, tears dripped down her cheeks. "Stop that!"

"Huh?" Topaz turned her eyes to Neo when she heard her speak. She instantly noticed the look in Neo's eyes. A mix of fear, sadness, and anger meant Neo misunderstood the situation and was probably having a mood swing. "Neo, wait don't-"

"What do you think you're doing?!" Neo asked.

"Which one of us?" Topaz asked, as she and Elek were both unsure if she meant both of them or just one of them.

"You have the mop out!" Neo said.

"Oh, yeah," Elek said, glance at the mop. "I was just cleaning up a bit. One of your crew asked me to-"

"Then swab the deck and stop flirting with my sister!" Neo snapped.

"Neo, calm down," Topaz said. She pushed off the wall and walked towards Neo. "We were just talking. We weren't-"

"No! You weren't! I saw you two! You were flirting!" Neo screamed.

"We weren't flirting," Topaz said.

"You weren't…" Neo started, taking a step backwards.

"We weren't flirting," Topaz said again, taking a few slow steps towards Neo. "It's okay. Just relax."

"I can't," Neo said, taking another step back. "I can't stop it."

"I know," Topaz said. She picked up her pace, stepped in front of Neo, and placed her hands on her shoulders.

"I don't want him to take you away." Neo glared at Elek.

"Neo, he's not going to take me away from you," Topaz said. "You're just a little freaked out. And I think you're having a mood swing."

"I am not having a mood swing!" Neo snapped.

"Okay," Topaz said. She squeezed Neo's shoulders before rubbing her arms. "Just breathe. You don't need to get this upset. Think about your baby."

"I'm trying," Neo said, sucking in several breaths and clutching her shirt to her chest. "I just can't…I don't want you to…" She shook her head then glared at Elek. "I hate this! I really hate this! I hate that you people are in my home! I hate what you're doing to Law! I hate that you're talking to my family! I really don't want you here! And I don't want you near my family or home at all! And I hate these stupid mood swings!"

"Neo, I'm not trying to take anyone away from you," Elek said. "We were just talking."

"I know! But I still hate you being here!" Neo said, trying to brush away her tears. Unable to stop her emotions, she pushed her shirt into Topaz's chests then spun on her heels. She summoned her wings and flew up the stairs, ignoring Topaz's calls for her to come back.

"Neo, wait!" Topaz said, dropping the shirt, she ran up the stairs. "Please, come back!"

"Oh boy," Elek said as he watched the two women take off. Unsure of what exactly he should do, he pushed the mop and bucket closer to the wall and followed after them.

…

"Law!" Neo called out. Instantly, Law's Room filled the space around her. When he popped into her view, she dove right into his chest. "Law, I can't stop myself!"

"I know. I've got you," Law said, wrapping her tightly in his arms. "I'm sorry I didn't come soon her. But you know Topaz isn't leaving."

"I know! But I still feel like she is!" Neo buried her face into Law's chest while clutching his shirt. "Law, I don't want her to leave! I don't want anyone to leave! But for these stupid mood swings!"

Law sighed, unsure of what to do, he just let her cry and held onto her while wishing these pregnancy mood swings came with an instruction manual.

"Captain," Topaz said just as she reached the two. "I'm sorry. She saw me talking with Elek and…"

"Mood swing," Law finished. His eyes then drifted to Elek, who appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Sorry, I-" A loud boom cut Elek off. The sub rocked, throwing them all against the wall of the sub.

Tightening his hold, Law whipped himself and Neo around so his back hit the wall instead of her. He grunted at the impact.

"Law!" Neo's eyes whipped up to his.

"I'm fine," Law said.

"Captain!" Jean Bart called out. "We're under attack!"

"From who?" Law asked.

"Two ships!" Jean Bart replied. "They weren't flying pirate flags and pulled right up along side us acting like they were having trouble! The Straw Hats and some of our crew, and Bao are currently in battle!"

"All right! Proceed with proper protocol and retaliate!" Law ordered.

"Aye, Captain!" Jean Bart shouted before bolting towards the deck with Topaz and Elek following.

Neo turned from Law's chest. She started to walk away from him, towards the fight, but Law pulled her back. "Law! We have to go! The crew is-"

"Neo, I _order_ you to stay inside and away from the deck!" Law said.

"What?!" Neo demanded. "Why?!"

"You're not thinking clearly right now," Law said. "You know the rules. No one is allowed to fight when they're not fully aware of what's going on. Now, stay here. I'll send someone to come stay with you."

Neo's jaw bobbed up and down as Law placed a quick kiss on her forehead then dashed down the hall of the sub. She had no choice but to stay inside now. Her head spun, making her dizzy and sick. Stumbling down the hall, she managed to make it up the stairs to the main floor of the sub. Here she clearly heard the fighting that was going on. The Straw Hats were clearly on the attack. She could hear them calling our their battle moves. Her own crew, she didn't hear at all. Most of them didn't have attacks to shout out. And Law never shouted out his attacks. She had to rely on her bond with him to make sure he was fine. The only other she could keep contact with were Luffy and Topaz. She could feel them both bouncing around all over the place. It scared her that she didn't know what was going on outside. Her knees buckled, causing her to sit down on the floor. She wrapped her arms around herself and leaned against the wall as her nightmare started pounding through her head. "No…no…"

"Neo." Ikkaku knelt down and placed her hand on Neo's shoulder.

Neo brought her teary eyes up to her female friend. "Topaz is going to be shot."

"You had another nightmare?" Ikkaku asked. She sighed when Neo nodded. Repositioning herself, she sat down beside Neo and pulled her to her side. "It'll be fine. The captain's with her right now. You know he'll watch out for her and so will the others. The captain sent me to keep you company. Okay?"

"Okay." Neo nodded. "I'm sorry. I should be out there. I got upset seeing Topaz and Elek talking."

"I know. The captain told me about that when he asked me to come stay with you," Ikkaku said. "But you know Topaz isn't going to go anywhere."

"I know." Neo nodded. "It still bothered me though."

"I know it did." Ikkaku rested her head on Neo's.

A moment of silence, besides the battle outside, passed between the two women. "Topaz and Elek like each other, don't they?"  
"I believe so," Ikkaku said. "There is a clear attraction between them. But that doesn't mean they're going to become involved."

"They will," Neo said with a sniffle. "They had an instant attraction with each other on the beach. I realize that now. I can't believe I didn't notice it then. I'm still so naïve."

"You know, if you really don't want them to become anything, even friends," Ikkaku said, "I'll be more than glad to run interference. I've gotten good at running over heated men off. You know I got the crew whooped. I can easily handle the Summoners. I'll knock Elek all the way to the moon if he makes another move on Topaz. And I can do it. You know how strong I am."

Neo laughed. "Thanks, Ikkaku. You're the best."

"It's good to hear you laugh again," Ikkaku said. "You're too cute to keep a frown on your face."

…

Law smiled to himself when he felt Neo finally calming down again. He turned his full focus to the battle then. When he came out on the deck everything was pandemonium. Luffy was fling bullets back at the enemy, while the other Straw Hats were preforming their own attacks. Some of his own crew was pinned down on the deck while others were on the enemy ships, releasing a flurry of punches and kicks to disarm as many as they could. With a quick count, he found that there were still over a hundred men on the two enemy ships. He didn't waste any more time in going on the offensive. Lifting his hand, he formed his Room and warped several guns and cannons of the enemy into the sea. A hearty scream came from his crewmembers, which had been pinned down, as they charged forward. Leaping off the sub, they landed on the deck of the ship that was closer to them. Law remained where he was while his crew finished up the job. A sharp jolt of panic ran through his ear when Topaz screamed out. He had forgotten about Neo's nightmare.

…

Topaz punched and kicked her way through the mess of enemies who were trying to take them down. She easily noticed that none of these pirates had Devil Fruit so she didn't feel like it was necessary for her to use her fire crystals. She jumped behind the mast of the ship when an enemy aimed a gun at her. She pinned herself against the woodened pole until the gun and cannon fire suddenly stop and was replaced why several splashes. She glanced over at the sub. There she saw Law on deck and knew he had warned the enemy's weapons into the water. She then scanned her eyes around the ship. Her crewmates and the Summoners were hard at work finishing the enemy off. Elek had formed a sword from his Aura and was slicing swords away from the pirates easily. Bao was running around in his cheetah form, knocking people into the water and have way too much fun doing it.

She shook her head at the energetic young man and stepped out from behind the mast. Hot pain shot through her right shoulder. It was followed by a piercing scream from her own mouth. She grabbed her arm and fell to the deck of the sub.

"Topaz!" Penguin shouted. "She's been hit! Someone get her inside!"

"We're a little busy!" Shachi shouted, kicking three pirates away from him.

"I'll get her! Bao! You're the fastest! Help the pirates get rid of the enemy!" Elek said, rushing forward. He kicked the gun out of the pirate's hand, then kicked the pirate in his head before continuing on towards Topaz.

"I'm on it!" Bao said, engulfing himself in his Summoner's Aura. He then ran over to the railing, jumped on it, and launched himself into the air. He did a flip, expertly missing getting shot himself from another pirate, before landing on the deck of the main deck of the enemy's ship. The second his feet touched the deck, he took off like a shot of his own, disarming as many men as he could, lightening up the enemy's numbers by a lot.

"Topaz." Elek knelt down, forming an Aura shield around them.

"I'm fine," Topaz said, applying pressure to her wound.

"Are you insane?!" Elek said, examining her injured shoulder and the blood that stained her boiler suit. "The bullet's still in there! Come on! I'm taking you back to the sub! And no arguing!"

"Okay." Topaz nodded and allowed the man to pick her up. Despite the situation they were in, she couldn't help but notice his muscled underneath his clothes. Heat lifted up on her face. _Stupid! Now isn't the time for this!_

"You okay? You looked a bit flushed," Elek said while running towards the edge of the ship.

"I'm fine," Topaz squeaked. She cleared her throat then spoke again. "It's nothing. It just hurts."

"I bet," Elek said. Bending at the knees, he launched them into the air, tapping the railing before sending them flying towards the sub's deck.

"Elek! Get Topaz inside and to the medical bay!" Law ordered just as Elek's shoes tapped down on the deck. "I'll be there soon!"

"Right!" Elek nodded and rushed inside.

…

"Something happened," Neo gasped. She pushed herself up off the floor and headed towards the door.

"Neo! Wait!" Ikkaku jumped up and followed after her. "The captain ordered you to stay inside!"

"I'm not going outside!" Neo called back while she continued to run down the hall. Another gasp left her mouth when she saw Elek carrying Topaz back into the sub. "Topaz!"

"Neo," Topaz said, wincing in pain.

"You hurt!" Neo instantly summoned her solar crystal. Hot tears streaked down her face as her eyes locked on to the blood staining Topaz's boiler suit, her heart taking several painful beats. "I'm sorry! This is my fault!"

"No, Neo." Topaz reached out and stroked her hair. "It's not your fault, Princess."

"Y-yes, it is!" Neo cried, trying to brush away her tears. "We got into a fight! You weren't concentrating!"

"That's not true," Topaz said. "Me getting shot had nothing to do with that."

"Sorry," Elek said, breaking in. "Trafalgar wants her taken to the medical bay."

"Go ahead," Ikkaku said. She placed her hands on Neo's shoulders and pulled her out of the way. "Come on, Neo. We'll follow them."

Unable to form any words, Neo just nodded. She kept Topaz engulfed in her solar crystal's glow while allowing Ikkaku to guide her through the sub. She barely recognized anything in the sub at that point. Everything was just a blurry mess of colors. So she didn't know they had entered the medical bay until she heard Ikkaku's voice.

"You have to go now," Ikkaku said.

"Yeah," Elek said.

"Wait," Neo said, stopping everyone. Through her tears, she looked at Elek. "Thank you for bringing my sister here."

"Any time," Elek said with a small smile. He nodded at the women then showed himself to the door.

"All right," Ikkaku said. She stepped over to the operating table and started helping Topaz strip down and prepare for surgery. "Let's get these clothes off of you."

Topaz gritted her teeth when Ikkaku pulled down the zipper of her boiler suit. As carefully as she could, she slipped her injured arm out of the suit then stepped out of it. Sitting back down on the table, she kicked the suit and her boots off while Ikkaku grabbed a sheet from the cabinet.

Ikkaku sat the sheet down on the table before removing Topaz's bra from her body. She then wrapped the sheet under Topaz's arms and disposed of the bloody clothes. "There. Now all we can do is wait for the captain."

"I'll get the surgical preparations ready," one of the medics said when he rushed into the room. "The captain's finishing up outside. He'll be here in a minute."

"I'm sorry," Neo said. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Neo," Topaz said. She held out her uninjured arm for her. "Come here, baby."

Despite not wanting to get closer to Topaz out of fear of hurting her again, Neo's feet carried her forward. She simultaneously sat down and wrapped her arms around Topaz's torso. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Shh." Topaz rubbed Neo's back. "It's all right, Neo. I'm fine. Shh."

Neo shook her head and continued clinging to her sister. She was still so upset that she didn't even noticed Law warping into the room.

"Neo," Law called softly, placing his hand on her back. "I need you to go out in the hall now."

"No!" Neo shook her head. "I don't want to! I don't want to leave her!"

"Topaz will be fine," Law said.

"Go on, Neo," Topaz added. "You know you don't want to see this surgery."

"I don't want to go!" Neo said.

"Come on," Law said, sitting his sword down. He gently pulled Neo off of Topaz, her fingers immediately clenched around his shirt, and escorted her to the door where Penguin, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, and Luffy were waiting. "Penguin's here. He'll take care of you until I'm finished."

"But, Law," Neo said, refusing to release her hold on his shirt.

Law hated to do it, but he pried her fingers off of him. He pressed a kiss to both her hands before allowing Penguin to pull her into his hold. "Keep her here."

"Aye, Captain." Penguin nodded. He tightened his hold on his sister when she tried to follow after Law.

"No! Law!" Neo called out just before the door to the operating room was closed, closing her off from Topaz. Her heart sunk lower in her chest. She hated being cut off from those she loved. She wanted to go back into the room. "No! Let me go, Penguin!"

"I can't, Neo," Penguin said gently while tightening his hold on her. "You know you can't watch this. Just calm down now. Topaz is in the captain's hands. He'll take very good care of her."

"Come on," Robin said. She placed her hand on Neo's shoulder and helped Penguin guide their upset girl a little farther away from the operation room.

Penguin then guided her down to the floor, keeping his arms around her as tightly as he could without squishing her or the baby while the others gathered around her.

"It'll be fine, Neo," Chopper said, rubbing his hoof on her knee.

"Yeah!" Luffy smiled. "Tra help save me after all! And I was far more injured than Topaz is!"

"He's right," Sanji said. "And, remember, you Elementals are a lot stronger than we humans are. This little thing is nothing. It's just like a thorn. Nothing more."

Neo didn't response. She just remained staring down at the operating room door, hoping that her solar crystal still had her sister engulfed in its healing glow. While sitting there, waiting on word from Law, she occasionally continued to try and wiggle out of Penguin's hold, but he's hold remain firm on her. However, just in case, the Straw Hats positioned themselves at strategic points in the hallway just in case she did get free and tired to bolt for the operating room.

She continued to struggled against him and soon found herself growing tired from everything. She did her best to stay awake. She wanted to stay awake until Topaz was out of surgery. But with everything that happened, her stress level was getting too high and was causing her to get extremely sleepy. Through her drowsiness, she felt someone place their hand on her head and pull her down to their shoulder. With a tired yawn, she fell asleep against them.

The rest of the group remained silent so they didn't disturb her. They just let Neo sleep while they waited for word on how Topaz was going to be. Occasionally, they had to speak up when crewmates came to see if Topaz was out of surgery yet. They all kept their voices low while getting their information then would slip away without waking Neo. A little over an hour later, the door to the operating room finally opened and Law walked out.

"How is she?" Sanji asked.

"She'll be fine," Law said. "There's a little muscle damage, but with Neo's solar crystal, she'll heal in no time. All vital spots were missed."

"That's a relief," Chopper said, sinking against the wall. "Neo will be happy about that."

Law nodded. He knelt down in front of Neo and Penguin. Cupping her face, he brushed his thumb over her skin. "She's been sleeping for a while."

"She fell asleep not after we sat down out here," Penguin replied. "I guess she's just really upset about this. She's probably going to blame herself until Topaz wakes up."

"Yeah." Law nodded.

"What are you going to do now?" Sanji asked.

"Take Neo into the recovery room," Law said, pulling Neo into his arms. "She'll want to wake up near Topaz."

"All right," Sanji said. "We'll go inform the rest of the crews that Topaz is all right. And keep ourselves busy with other stuff for the night so both she and Neo can relax."

"Thanks, Blackleg," Law said, standing up with Neo in his arms.

"Say hi to Topaz for us," Luffy said as he and his crewmates walked away. "We'll see you all later."

…

Neo opened her eyes to the bluish grey tint of the sub walls and to the distant, but familiar beeping of the heart monitor. Thinking she was the one hurt, she gasped and shot up. Before she could say anything, Law's arms wrapped around her and pulled her back to his chest, kissing her temple. "It's all right, love. You're safe."

Her eyes then shot to Topaz. She tried to get off Law, but he wouldn't allow her to. "Law, let go!"

"No," Law said. "You're staying right here with me. Topaz is just fine. Your solar crystal has already healed a lot of the damage done to her muscles."

Neo relaxed a bit at the sight of her solar crystal still releasing its glow over Topaz. She sunk back down into Law's lap, resting her head on his shoulder, unable to speak.

"Can you eat something? Basil brought this a little while ago." Law turned to the small table beside his chair. He picked up the fork and cut a bite off of bake sea pig then brought it up to Neo's lips.

"I'm not hungry," Neo said, turning away from the meat.

"Neo, you need to eat," Law said, trying to encourage her to eat even just a little.

"I don't want to," Neo said. "This is my fault."

"No, it's not," Law said.

"Yes, it is!" Neo cried. "If I didn't get so jealous and ridiculously angry at Topaz for talking to Elek then this never would have happened! She was distracted in battle because of me and my stupid insecurities!"

"That's not true," Law said, a bit more forcefully. "This has nothing to do with that. You know very well that we can get injured at any point in time."

"The crew has a higher chance of getting hurt when they're distracted, Law!" Neo snapped. "You taught me that! I know that! I know the crew needs to focus in battle! And I broke Topaz's focus! I did this to her!"

"Neo, that's enough!" Law sat down the fork and took her face in his hands. "You did nothing wrong. You know Topaz won't blame you for this. She loves you. And she could still have gotten hurt while in battle. Those other crews pinned us down. We gotten take off guard and let ourselves get surrounded. We were at a disadvantage because of that, not because of a distraction. I warped all of their guns into the sea, but one had another hidden. That's how she got shot. Topaz is going to be just fine. I was able to successfully remove the bullet. No infections will have the chance to settle in with the medication I put her on. And you're using your solar crystal on her as well. She's going to be just fine. Do you understand me?"

"But, Law…"

"No, buts," Law said. "This isn't your fault. And I won't have you going around blaming yourself for this anymore. That's an _order_ , Neo. You're not allowed to blame yourself from this point on. If you do, I'll punish you for real. And I don't want to do that."

Neo remained quiet for a few moments just processing his words before finally agreeing. "Okay, Law. But Topaz is still going to be upset with me for what I did."

"No, she's not," Law said, pulling her into a hug. "She knows how you feel. She knows you didn't do anything wrong. You'll see that for yourself when she wakes up."

"When will she wake up?" Neo asked, tucking her face into Law's neck.

"She should wake up within the hour. She came around a few minutes ago so the sedative is wearing off," Law said. He reached for the fork again, picking it up, and brought it back up to Neo's lips. "Eat for me now, love."

Neo turned to the fork, parted her lips, and allowed the fish to be placed inside of her mouth. She chewed slowly while keeping a watchful eye on her sister and her solar crystal.

"Good girl," Law said with a kiss to Neo's hair when she ate a little over half of her meal. "Why don't you lay down and get some rest now? You're tired."

"You're going to stay, aren't you?" Neo asked as she let her head drop back down to Law's shoulder. She breathed in his scent, allowing it to comfort her and lull her to sleep.

"Yes," Law said. "I won't leave until Topaz has woken up."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Thank you, Law," Neo said, her eyelids growing heavy as she struggled for a few seconds to keep herself awake. But the stressed of the day were still strong and won her over. She closed her eyes and fell asleep instantly against her lover.

Law chuckled a bit when she had finally fallen asleep. She was still so much like child at times. He was starting to wonder if she'd ever grow out of that. Part of him didn't want her to. He loved her innocence so much. It was just a big part of who she was. He then tucked her firmly into his hold, letting her know she was safe while she slept, and waited for both the women to wake up from their hard day.

And that time came forty minutes later, when he was checking on Topaz's shoulder. She opened her eyes and looked at him. He smiled and said, "Glad to see you're finally awake. How are you feeling?"

"Where's Neo?" Topaz asked at the same time she sensed Neo beside her and turned to look at her.

Law chuckled. "I should have known. She's fine, just sleepy from all the stress today. I put here there a few minutes ago when my arm fell asleep holding her. I needed to check your bandages anyway. She's waking up now. I explained what happened with the guns, but she's still upset at herself for yelling at you like she did."

"Understood, Captain," Topaz said just as Neo yawned and stretched out.

Neo then sat up. Rubbing her finger under her eye sleepily, she said, "I want some cookies. Topaz, will you make some with me?"  
"As long as it's fine with the captain," Topaz said.

"You're wake," Neo said, finally waking up completely herself.

"Still a little groggy, but it'll clear up soon with your solar crystal," Topaz said.

"I'm sorry, Topaz," Neo said. "I got upset before when I shouldn't have. It's just I-"

"You've apologized enough, little sister," Topaz said. She reached up and brushed the back of her hand against Neo's cheek. "I should have sensed you there before you saw us. You wouldn't have freaked out then if I was paying attention."

"I probably would have freaked out anyway," Neo said. "I've turned into a crazy, hormonal pregnant woman. I'm practically a sea king."

"Oh, come on. You're not that bad," Topaz said with a small laugh. "I've seen way worse than you back on Luminous."

"Really?" Neo asked.

"Sure have." Topaz nodded. "One woman literally wanted to be carried everywhere by her husband, another had a bizarre desire to yell at inanimate objects, and one keep thinking that trees were out to seduce her husband away from her."

Neo blinked in confusion before the imagery from Topaz's words caused her to laugh out loud.

"That's my girl," Topaz said, enjoying the sound of Neo's bells. "What happened before is over and done with. You're a little moody, so what? It happens to all pregnant women."

"I know," Neo said with a nod. "I'm trying so hard to control it."

"Neo, it's not something you can control," Topaz said. "Just relax and go with it."

"I'll try," Neo said. She then looked up at Law with puppy dog eyes that made him flinch. "Can Topaz come bake cookies with me? Please?"  
Law sighed, knowing he wasn't going to be able to resist her. He said, "Fine. But she's not to do much. While her arm is healing nicely with the help of your solar crystal, she still needs to keep that arm still for a while."

"Okay!" Neo nodded. "She can cut the cookies out! That can be done with one hand!"

"You want cookie cutters, huh?" Topaz asked.

"Yeah! Pumpkin ones!" Neo nodded.

"All right," Law said, grabbing his sword as he headed to the door. "I'll have Ikkaku bring Topaz a clean pair of clothes."

"Thank you, my love!" Neo chirped.

Law shook his head, with a smile, and headed out the door.

"You sure you're okay?" Neo turned her eyes back to Topaz.

"Yes," Topaz said. "And I'm sure I'll be healed in no time with you beside me."

Neo nodded furiously. Then, while they waited for Ikkaku to bring some clothes, Neo inspected Topaz's skin for any blood that Law might have missed. She found none. He was as thorough as ever. She then turned her eyes to the door, wondering where Ikkaku was. "I wonder what's taking so long."

Just then there was a knock at the door followed by Ikkaku's voice. She said, "It's just me! Bearing gifts for our favorite fire Elemental!"

"Come in, Ikkaku," Topaz said.

"Sorry it took me so long," Ikkaku said once inside. "Some of the crew wanted to help in picking out your clothes."

"We should have known that was the problem," Topaz said. "They never can pass over the opportunity to look through women's clothes."

"The captain's checking them out for concussions right now," Ikkaku said, passing over the clothes.

"You hit them that hard?" Neo and Topaz asked.

"No, not really," Ikkaku giving them a guilty grin. "They stumbled back and hit their heads on the wall. That's why the captain's checking them."

"Uh huh," Topaz and Neo said.

"Anyway, I brought you some everyday clothes," Ikkaku said. "I didn't think you'd feel like getting back into a boiler suit."

"Yes, this is fine," Topaz said running her eyes over Ikkaku's choices. Just a simple orange shirt, socks, and light grey sweat pants.

"We're going to make come cookies," Neo said while helping Topaz get dressed. "Would you like to join us?"

"No, thanks. The crew's getting poker game going with some of the Straw Hats," Ikkaku said, gaining a malicious grin on her lips. "I'm going to see if I can beat the pants off them again."

"You scare me," Topaz said.

"Just make sure to send us some of your cookies," Ikkaku said while leaving the room.

"You know I will," Neo said.

"Shall we go?" Topaz asked.

"Yeah!" Neo nodded. Linking her arm through Topaz's the two Elementals left the room and made their way down to the galley.

"Hey, good to see you up," Penguin said upon meeting the girls in the hall.

"We're going down to the galley to make cookies! Yummy, yummy cookies shaped like pumpkins!" Neo said. "You wanna come?!"

"Good to see you're not blaming yourself anymore, even if it's caused by a Playful Mood Swing," Penguin said.

"She's not blaming herself anymore anyway," Topaz said. "All has been forgiven and forgotten."

"That's good," Penguin said.

"Aw, come on, Pen," Neo said with a pout. "I asked you a question."

"Of course I'm coming," Penguin said, ruffling her hair. "When do I ever miss a chance to hangout with you?"

"Goodie!" Neo said then linked her free arm with his and pulled the two towards the galley.

…

Basil, finishing up some dishes from dinner, smiled upon seeing the small group enter into the galley. "Topaz, I didn't expect to see you up so soon. Glad you're all right."

"Well, we have great doctors on our side," Topaz said, referring both to Law and Neo. She gestured to the solar crystal hovering beside her. "Besides, Neo won't let up on this thing."

"That's true," Basil said with a laugh. "She doesn't like it when we're hurt and uses that on us until we're all better. So what brings you to down here?"

"We're going to make cookies," Neo said in a playful tone.

"Ah, Playful Mood Swing, huh?" Basil nodded at Neo.

"Yup." Penguin nodded. "We decided it was best to humor her."

"As always," Basil said, walking towards the cabinets. "What kind of cookies are you making this time?"

"Cut out sugar cookies!" Neo chirped. "I want pumpkin shaped cookies!"

"Then pumpkin shaped cookies you shall have, Princess," Basil said.

"I'll help get the supplies out," Penguin said, working his way over to the cabinets.

The group then settled down and got to work on their cookies once they had everything they needed. Like Neo had said, Topaz took on the job of cutting out the cookies while the others handled rolling and mixing the dough.

"Penguin! Will you stop eating the cookie dough?!" Topaz snapped. "If you keep eating it, we're not going to have enough cookies for everyone!"

"I can't help it," Penguin said, his voice muffled by the large ball of cookie dough in his mouth. "It's so good. Besides, I deserve a little treat for how you scared us earlier today."

"It's not like I did it on purpose," Topaz said. "At least I know now what it feels like to be shot."

"Not a good feeling, is it?" Neo said. She eyed the bandage around Topaz's shoulder and remembered the time she got shot before increasing the glow of her solar crystal.

"It sure isn't," Topaz said. She placed her hand on Neo's shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze. "I'm still fine though. You don't have to use your solar crystal on me now."

"I'm doing it anyway," Neo said, giving her a half glare.

"Oh, Elek," Penguin then said before anyone else could speak. They all turned their eyes to the man standing in the doorway.

Neo's bangs fell over her eyes. The air in the room became thick with tension.

"Sorry," Elek said, waving the empty glass in his hand. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I was just returning my glass. I'll just put it in the sink and get out of your way."

They all, but Neo, watched as the man walked over to the sink and placed his glass in the sink before heading back towards the door. Their eyes then dropped to Neo. They all were wondering what she was going to do or say, if anything.

"Wait," Neo then said.

"Yes?" Elek turned back to Neo, patiently waiting for her to continue.

"Would you…" Neo shifted uncomfortably on her stool, unable to meet his gaze. "…like to help us?"

"You want me to help you?" Elek asked, confusion written all over his face.

Neo twitched. "Yeah, I guess. I still don't really trust you completely, but you did save my sister. So you're not all that bad."

"Then I'd love to help," Elek said. He stepped back over to the sink, washed his hands, and then sat down at the counter across from Neo and Topaz. He shared a quick smile with Topaz before looking at Neo. "You sure you don't mind?"  
Lifting her eyes up, she gave the man a small, but sincere smile, she said, "I'm sure."

…

 **Author's Note: I don't know why but it's so hard to get Neo to argue and get angry at people she loves. Reminder, gonna be outta town this week. I'm supposed to have access to the internet but won't know until I get there. So if I don't update anything later this week then it turns out I don't have access and will update next week.**

 **Sarge1130: Yeah, I'll get caught up with myself one day. And I'm trying to work on my development for characters and plot. Not sure how that's working right now.**

 **Apple Bloom: Hybrid, huh? Never thought of that. It would be interesting.**


	7. To Zion P4

To Zion

Part Four

"And it doesn't hurt a bit?" Neo asked. Her eyes were locked onto the glowing red aura that surrounded Elek's hand. She studied it curiously, but also cautiously.

"No, there's no pain at all," Elek said. Patiently watching the young Elemental take in his aura, his eyes flittered to Topaz. He smiled when Topaz smiled at him. The small group of three was down in the training room. A short while ago some of the Heart Pirates were down here training but now it was just the three of them.

Neo was watching her family spar with each other, like she often did since she couldn't participate in close range combat anymore, when Elek had wondered in to use the training room himself. And with her now more comfortable with Elek, she was starting to become more curious about him as an individual and his powers.

"What if I touched it?" Neo asked. "You said before that Law's aura should have hurt me, but it did. Does that mean all of your auras can hurt people?"

"Yes and no," Elek said. "Right my aura isn't being form into a weapon. Go ahead and touch it."

Neo hesitated. Rubbing her thumb over the tips of her fingers before slowly reaching out for the aura. She lightly touched the red aura and jerked back quickly. She blinked several times. Looking at her finger, she noticed nothing happened to her. So she tried it again, this time slipping her finger into the glow until her entire fingernail was engulfed. "It kind of feels like I'm dipping my finger in water but there's no wetness at all. So what kind of weapons can you create? Is the aura itself a weapon or does it have to have an actual weapon shape?"

"Just about anything we want," Elek said. "But the more skilled you are the more choices you can have. If you don't have enough skill you can over work yourself. And, yes, the aura itself can be used as a weapon." He formed the glow into a shield. "We start off with working the aura, manipulating it. Once it feels natural and the shape changes easily for you, you move on to changing the shape into weapons. We start off small. Usually forming a knife then working up to bigger weapons."

"Are they close range weapons only? Or can you do long range weapons like bows and arrows?" Neo asked.

"Most just do close range weapons," Elek said. "But there are some very skilled weapons masters on Zion who can form long range weapons like bows and arrows. They can also control the arrows once they've been fired."

"Control them?" Neo lifted her eyes back to Elek's.

"Would you like an example?" Elek asked.

Neo looked over at Topaz, almost like she was asking if it was okay. Topaz only smiled at her. Both knowing it was up to Neo whether or not she wanted to see this example. And of course she did. She looked back at Elek and nodded. "If you don't mind."

"Of course not," Elek said.

Neo watched with peaked curiosity as Elek's aura began to shift into a bow. She felt almost giddy when he pulled the string back and an arrow appeared. A small gasp passed over her lips causing Elek and Topaz to smile. Her eyes barely were able to follow the arrow when he released it. Another gasp left her lips when the arrow suddenly stopped half an inch from the wall. She summoned her wings and flew over to it. Staying in the air, she inspected the arrow from all angles possible. "You can control it."

Elek nodded. Carefully he moved the arrow away from Neo and began guiding it around the room.

Neo's eyes locked onto the arrow as it flew all over the room.

"So your eyes glow too when you're controlling the arrow?" Topaz asked.

Neo let herself look at Elek. The man was wearing a red aura, somewhat transparent, mask over his eyes, making them look like they were glowing.

"It's more like a mask," Elek said. "This allows me to, um, I guess you could say I'm bonded with the aura arrow. By putting this glowing mask over my eyes I'm able to see where the arrow is heading. This allows me ultimate control. But, at the same time, it drains my powers because I have to focus so much on it instead of what's going on around me and the farther away I get from the arrow the harder it is to control it."

"It sounds like being a Summoner is a lot of hard work and can put a lot of strain on your body," Topaz said.

"It can," Elek said with a nod. "That's why a lot of people don't go over being a First Level Summoner. The Aurae is fairly hard to control. It only gets harder from there with each level after since the summons are animal and nature based. You Elementals know better than anyone how hard and dangerous nature can be to control and you all are a part of nature."

Topaz nodded in understanding. She then turned her eyes back to Neo. The young princess was once again following the arrow, still looking at it with childlike curiosity while she flew with it by it sides, on top of it, and even under it. She smiled and shook her head.

"She can be quite charming when she's not feeling threatened," Elek said.

"Yeah." Topaz nodded. "I'm sorry, again, for her little episode before."

"Don't worry about it," Elek said. "It's all be forgiven. I'm just glad she's finally settling down a bit with me at least."

"She does better with calmer people," Topaz said. "It still might take her some time to get use to Bao."

"I can understand that," Elek said. "Bao can be an acquired taste. He's annoyed plenty of people back on Zion and during our travels."

"You might want to stop the arrow now," Topaz said, pointing at Neo and the arrow. "If you don't, she'll follow that thing all day."

Elek chuckled. Guiding the arrow back to him, he formed his aura back over his hand.

Neo continued to follow the arrow. She brought her face right up to Elek's hand when the arrow absorbed back into his aura. Without thinking she grabbed his hand with both of hers, surprising both him and Topaz. She inspected his hand and aura as if she was expecting the arrow to come back out on its own power. "It's gone. It went back into the aura, your aura. Can you shape the aura into other things like animals?"

"I believe some have shaped their auras into animals and other shapes," Elek said. "But it holds no purpose other than entertainment."

"Oh," Neo said, still holding onto his hand and waiting for the arrow to come back out. She lifted her eyes to his. Her eyebrows lifted up on her forehead when she realized she was actually touching this man. Her cheeks tinted pink and she let her hands drop from his. "Sorry."

"It's quiet all right," Elek said.

Silence fell onto the room for a while. Topaz knew to give Neo a little time to process what she had just done here. Locking her eyes with Elek, she sent him a silent signal by placing her finger over her lips telling him not to say anything for the moment.

Elek nodded in understanding. He let his eyes rest back on Neo, taking her in until she was ready to speak again. While he and Topaz watched the young princess, they both noticed tiredness gathering in Neo's eyes.

Neo placed her hand over her lips and yawned then rubbed her eye sleepily. "I'm sleepy now. I got too excited I guess. I'm going to go take a nap."

"All right," Topaz said. While Neo hugged her, she stroked her hair. "We'll see you later."

"Have a good rest, Neo," Elek said.

"Thanks, Elek." Neo gave the man a smile before heading out of the room. She yawned a couple more times while wondering through the sub halls then perched up when she sensed Bao coming her way. She paused. Taking a few relaxing breathes until the young man appeared in the hall with her. She swallowed when she saw his eyes light up.

"Hey, Neo," Bao greeted, walking closer to her.

She took a step back when he got to close. She started to summoner her crystals, but paused when she noticed Bao wasn't going to come any closer. A thick, heavy silence fell between them for a few seconds. Cautiously, she asked, "So…did you need something?"  
"No, not really," Bao said. "I've just been kind of wondering around. You're crew seems to be busy doing other stuff so I think I'm going to hope over to the Straw Hats ship to see if they're doing anything of interest. You want to join me?"

"No, I don't," Neo said, forcing herself to not snap at the man. "I mean I'm going to take a nap."

"Oh," Bao said, obviously disappointed. "I understand. I'll let you get to it then."

Neo nodded slowly. She remained in place while watching Bao walk away. Only then did she notice that Law was carefully watching her through their bond. She shook her head, feeling a bit silly about how she reacted toward Elek before. "You don't have to watch me like that, Law. I'm okay now and I'm going to try a little hard to get to know these two…well, at least Elek. We were actually getting a long just fine in the training room. He showed me some of his powers. I need a bit more adjusting time for Bao though. But I'm not going to over react like I did before. I guess we need to come up with some kind of system for me for dealing with these mood swings better."

 _'A system for dealing with your mood swings might be a good thing. I'll think about it while you're sleeping. I might be able to come up with something.'_ Law replied back to her. _'I'll let you do your thing now and not hover over you.'_

"Thanks, Law," Neo said. "You're the best."

She continued on through the sub. Entering into their room when she finally reached it. She felt even more exhausted than before. She was so ready for a nap. Slipping under the covers, she lay down and rubbed her stomach gently. "Sleep well, baby."

Closing her eyes, she was a sleep in seconds.

…

Bao walked out onto the deck of the sub and was greeted by the sound of Brook's violin. With his hands on his hips, he looked around. Currently, he was the only from the Polar Tang outside. Since Brook was playing his violin, he assumed all of the Straw Hats were out on the deck of their ship. So he decided to go over to see them for a while like he told Neo he was going to. Engulfing himself in his Summoner's glow, he pushed himself off the deck of the sub, flipped through the air, and landed effortlessly on the Sunny's railing and without causing it to dip or rock on the water. He ran his eyes over the scattered Straw Hats and Ikkaku, the women were sitting at a small round table while the men were scattered around the deck, before noticing after all that one Straw Hat was missing. And that one was Sanji. He assumed the blonde cook was in the kitchen for some reason. He looked right at Ikkaku and said, "What are you doing here?"

"Plotting your murder," Ikkaku said.

"Very funny." Bao frowned at the Heart Pirate.

Ikkaku shrugged and leaned back in her chair. "Well, I have to have a plan to execute if you don't stop trying to flirt with Neo."

"Whatever," Bao said with a roll of his eyes.

"It looks like we have a guest," Robin said, calmly flipping to the next page of her book.

"Wow! That was so cool!" Luffy and Chopper exclaimed.

"How did you do that without rocking the ship?" Usopp asked. "I'd figure with your Summoner's powers making you stronger than a normal human, you would have rocked it like crazy."

"It's part of my cheetah form and Summoner's abilities," Bao replied. "I can land softly on any surface as it is while being a cat like creature, but my Summoner's aura also gives me extra padding when I need it."

"That's so cool!" Luffy and Chopper said. "I want to be a Summoner!"

"That's not happening!" Nami growled.

"So what brings you over to our ship?" Franky asks.

"Boredom mostly," Bao said, jumping down to the deck. "The Hearts are all scattered around doing various pirates things, Elek is working out in the training room, and Neo has fallen asleep again." Sighing, he leaned back against the railing. "She sure sleeps a lot."

"She sleeps when she's stressed," Chopper said. "It's a habit from her past. I thought someone mentioned that before."

"Maybe they did and I forgot," Bao said.

"At least you're leaving her alone while she sleeps," Sanji's voice said.

Bao looked up at the cook. Sanji had his arms crossed over the railing and was wearing a light glare while smoking. Bao shrugged. He didn't feel like arguing. "Anyway, I was hoping to do some fishing or something."

"I could go for some fishing," Luffy said. "It's boring around here."

"Glad I'm not the only one who's bored," Bao said. "Mine if I borrow one of your poles? I really don't want to go back to the sub and get one."

"Sure," Usopp said. He stood up from the deck and wondered towards the inside. "I'll grab them and join you."

"Great!" Luffy cheered.

"I'll fish too," Chopper said.

"What kind of training is Elek doing?" Zoro inquired.

"His Summoner training," Bao said.

"Does that include that sword thing he did on the beach?" Zoro asked, lifting himself up on his elbows.

"Probably. Topaz is in the training room as well," Bao said. "But he usually trains with me when doing that. Otherwise he doesn't get much out of it. Why? Are you interested in his sword skills?"

"I am," Zoro said, standing up.

"Good grief," Sanji said. "Here we go again."

"Shut up!" Zoro snapped. "I just want to spar with him and see how good he is!"

"Yeah right," Sanji said. "You just want to beat someone else."

"So?! It comes with being the greatest swordsman in the world!" Zoro said.

"You're _not_ the greatest swordsman in the world!" Sanji said. "You're only _trying_ to become the greatest!"

"Such a peaceful day broken by a fight," Brook said while he continued to play his violin.

"I'm sure Elek won't mind sparring with you," Bao said. "He'll welcome the chance to train." He paused to look at the three swords hanging on the swordsman's belt. "Thought he's probably not as good as you are. He only uses one aura sword."

"That's fine," Zoro said, walking towards the side of the Sunny. "I'll use one as well. At least until I know how good he is." Without another word, he jumped over to the Polar Tang's deck and disappeared inside.

"Will they be fine?" Nami asked.

"Yeah." Bao nodded. "If Elek is stronger than Zoro, he won't do anything that'll hurt him. But like I said, I doubt that Elek is as strong as Zoro where swords are concerned. While he knows how to use a sword, he doesn't classify himself as a swordsman."

"I got the fishing poles," Usopp announced when he walked back out onto the deck.

"Great!" Luffy ran over to his sniper. He grabbed his fishing pole then went to sit on the railing of the sub.

"Be sure to catch enough for supper tonight," Sanji said. "And half of what you all catch goes to my precious little flower, Neo."

"Okay!" the destined fishers said while dropping their lines into the water below.

"So, Bao," Usopp said a few minutes later. "How long have you been a Summoner?"  
"Hm, since I was thirteen," Bao said.

"Is there a set year for becoming a Summoner?" Chopper asked.

"Not really," Bao replied. "I mean babies can't do it because they're too young obviously."

"So what the youngest a person was when they became a Summoner?" Nami asked.

"The youngest ever was four years old," Bao said.

"Four years old with such strong powers like you have?" Franky asked, pushing up his sunglasses on his head. "That's super crazy!"

"Yeah, but we don't start out all that strong," Bao said. "It's just like anything else. You have to work up to becoming a strong Summoner. And the majority of people on Zion just stop at being First and Second Level Summoners, usually the First Level. It's a lot of hard work, which Trafalgar will soon find out. It takes a lot out of the mind and body."

"How many are Third Level Summoners?" Robin asked.

"There's only three hundred thousand Third Level Summoners out of about two point five million," Bao said.

"There's over two million people on Zion?" Nami asked.

"Yeah." Bao nodded.

"Wow," Brook exclaimed, lowering his violin. "If every one of you became Summoners then you'd have your own army that's basically invisible."

"Maybe," Bao said. "But like I said, being a Summoner takes a lot out of you and we have our time limit. Most just don't have the mental or physical stamina to handle it."

"What about the Fourth and Fifth Level Summoners?" Usopp asked. "How many are there or have their been?"

"Let's see." Bao looked up at the sky. "There have only been about three thousand Fourth Level Summoners and thirty Fifth Level Summoners in Zion's history."

"That few?" Nami said. "Wow. The Fifth and Fourth Levels must be really hard to control."

"They are," Bao said, dropping his eyes back down to the water. "Right now there's only one Fourth Level Summoner on Zion."

"And who's he?" Brook asked.

" _She_ is actually the one who became a Summoner at four years old," Bao said.

"What?!" the Straw Hats shrieked.

"You mean the Fourth Level Summoner is only a child?!" Usopp screamed, clutching onto his pole to the point of it cracking.

"Isn't that dangerous?!" Chopper said. "I mean, if it really takes so much out of people…"

"Uh," Bao said. "Well, she's…"

…

Sanji's eyebrow twitched when he noticed the Summoner's hesitation.

…

"She's very gifted. It surprised us all when she became a Summoner so quickly. Usually when someone becomes a Summoner they're about twelve or thirteen years ago," Bao said. "But she's not exactly the most social type. And she's currently eight years old and doesn't really train much as a Summoner."

"Why's that?" Brook asked.

"I don't know." Bao shrugged while keeping his eyes down on the water.

"Was it her choice to become a Summoner?" Sanji asked.

"Why would you ask that?" Bao turned his eyes up to the cook.

"Because she was only four when she became a Summoner," Sanji said. "Was she forced to become a Summoner?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Bao said. "I guess it was just a strange occurrence or something. We've had some of the most skilled Summoners try to train her, but she just refuses. My guess it's because of her grandfather. He's sick. And they have no one else to help pay for his medical bills and stuff."

"Does that mean she's taking care of everything by herself?" Robin asked. She exchanged looks with Nami and Ikkaku. All three women instantly thought of Neo for some reason. Their eyes went back to the Summoner when he started speaking again.

"Pretty much," Bao said. "She's been working odd jobs here and there to buy medicine for him."

"What is he sick with?" Chopper asked. "Maybe I can help? Or maybe Law can?"

"I'm afraid no one can help him," Bao said. "At least no one has been able to help him. None of our doctors have been able to diagnose what he has."

"What are his symptoms?" Chopper asked.

"I don't know him well enough to know that." Bao turned his eyes to the reindeer. "For that information you'd have to talk to him personally."

"I might do that," Chopper said.

"Yeah!" Luffy said. "Chopper's a great doctor!"

"Stop trying to flatter me, you jerk! It's not going to work!" Chopper said, his cheeks flushed red while he squirmed on the railing.

"If you can't, surely Tra will be able to," Usopp said.

"He might not be as willing as I am to help," Chopper said.

"Oh, yeah," Usopp said. "I forgot he didn't want to help the kids back on Punk Hazard."

"No worries," Luffy said, smiling. "Neo can convince him easily enough."

"Neo, she's really got a strong hold over Trafalgar, doesn't she?" Bao asked.

"Of course she does," Sanji said, walking up to them. "And don't you forget that. Their bond goes far deeper than you'll ever know."

"I've notice," Bao said.

"Just get back to fishing," Sanji said.

"You got it!" the four said.

"You know, we should start up a poker game later," Bao said.

"A poker game?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah." Bao nodded. "How about it?"

"Sounds fun to me!" Luffy said.

"Leave me out of it," Usopp said.

"Yeah, I'm not really into poker," Chopper said. "I need to save my money for my medical supplies."

"I can understand that," Bao said. Looking over his shoulder, he addressed the others on the Sunny. "How about you all?"  
"Not interested," Nami said.

"No thank you," Robin said, not looking up from her book.

"Naw," Ikkaku said. "I don't feel like it."

"Me either," the rest of the Straw Hats said.

"Oh, fine," Bao said, looking at Luffy. "Maybe some of the Heart Pirates will play with us."

"I'm sure they will," Luffy said.

"Well, wait to go back over there once I'm done dividing up this sea pig," Sanji said while he stood on the sea pig that was still floating in the sea. "No point in making more trips than necessary."

"Sure thing," Bao said.

…

Zoro smirked to himself in anticipation while he walked through the halls of the sub. The closer he got to the training room the more excited he got for this battle. He barely noticed the Heart Pirates as they passed each other in the hall. But they didn't pay much attention to him either. They've been sailing together long enough it was like they were one crew instead of two. And they all made themselves at home on each other's ships.

Stepping into the training room, Zoro immediately saw the one he was aiming for. Elek and Topaz were still in the training room at the moment. And the Summoner had an aura bow staff in his hands. He and Topaz watched as Elek glided through a few moves. He instantly noticed the grace this man had through his moves. He knew that this Summoner was going to be a fairly strong opponent to face. He was just disappointed that they were going to have to keep their sparring to a minimum since they were inside of the sub. All of his attacks could cause some serious damage to the water vessel. He didn't want that. Though he never would admit it to anyone, he feared what Neo would do to him, or have Law do to him, if he sunk her home. So taking it easy was a must. An unavoidable, absolute must. He wanted to live long enough to fulfill his dream and lift Luffy to being King of the Pirates.

"What are you doing here, Zoro?" Law asked.

Zoro turned his eyes to the surgeon who had appeared in the room. "I came to see if Elek would spar with me. I want to see what he can do with his sword."

"I see," Law said.

"Oh, hey," Elek then said, finally noticing the pirates standing in the room.

"Do you two need something?" Topaz asked.  
"No, I was just passing through," Law said.

"What about, Zoro?" Elek asked, turning his eyes to the swordsman.

"I came to see if you'd spar with me," Zoro said. "I would like to see how I match up to your Summoner powers." He looked from Elek to Topaz then back to Elek. "Unless you two were busy. Does Neo know you're down here together?"

"She knows," Topaz said. "She was down here a while ago with us."

Zoro looked back at Law for confirmation. He then understood that everything was fine when the surgeon nodded. "I see."

"Sure we can spar," Elek said. "We're not really doing much right now anyway. I was just going through some moves with my bow staff."

"And I was just watching," Topaz said. "He's very skilled. I'd like to watch you two."

"Great," Zoro said.

"But I might not be as good as you since you have three swords." Elek's eyes dropped to the swords attacked to Zoro's hip.

"Bao said the same thing. Don't worry," Zoro said. "I'll only using one. At least until I know what you're capable of."

"Shall we get started then?" Elek asked, twirling his bow into a katana where the style matched Zoro's.

Zoro nodded then headed for the center of the room.

"Just take it easy," Law said. "I want zero damage done to _Neo's home_. If you two even put one scratch on the sub, I'll put you through the most painful time of your lives."

Elek chuckled nervously. He had no doubt that the Surgeon of Death would make good on that and live up to his reputation. "We'll be as careful as we possibly can."

Law nodded permission for the two men to continue. He couldn't help but look over at Topaz while the two men went through a few warm up exercises. His fire Elemental subordinate was sitting on one of the benches in the room. She had her legs crossed with her elbow resting on her knee and her chin in her hand. She also had her eyes practically glued onto the Summoner. He started to wonder how far her relationship with Elek was going to go. He has seen her flirt with some guys at islands they've stopped at before, but never has she ever seems so drawn to someone before. He couldn't help but be slightly worried for both Topaz and Neo. He knew Topaz would never abandon Neo for someone she barely knew. But how long were they going to be on Zion? He knew it was going to be longer than a month. So she and Elek could very well become really close, close to the point of sexual intimacy. Then what would happen when they had to leave Zion? Topaz would be the one getting hurt the most.

He had to force his mind off of it and his eyes back on the men. He knew trying to figure that out now would only cause himself problems. There was nothing anyone could do about that until the time to leave Zion came. So he wasn't going to worry about it. He shifted his focus on Elek's fighting style. The Summoner was very graceful on his feet. So he was easily able to avoid Zoro's attacks. And, at first glance, it looked as if the two sparring were on equal terms where strength was concerned. He also noticed that Elek's sword attacks weren't as skilled as Zoro's. At the moment, he wasn't sure which one of them would win this session. Going by what he was currently seeing, he was leaning more towards Zoro winning. But then Elek has his Summoner's powers that he could easily use at their fullest strength. Neither one of them said that Elek couldn't use his powers in there fullest as long as they didn't damage the sub. Zoro would probably welcome it since it would make a greater challenge for him.

After ten more minutes of watching the two exchange blows, Law turned and headed out of the room. He had seen enough for now. Elek was a very skill man and could be a very powerful enemy. He made his way up to his and Neo's room. Entering, he found she was fast asleep on their bed, curling up on her right side like she always did. Once he had reached their bed, he dropped his hat on the nightstand then pushed off his boots. He crawled into bed already anticipating for his love to move closer to him, or on him, when he sat down. And sure enough, the second he got comfortable on the bed, Neo moved over to him in her sleep. She curled up under his arm, laying her leg over his as much as she could with the blanket around her.

"But Law," Neo mumbled in her sleep. "She such a cute puppy…she likes…you."

Law chuckled, grateful she was having a good dream instead of the same bizarre dream of him being faceless. He placed a kiss into her sweet scented hair. "Sleep well, my love." He brushed his fingers over her swelling stomach. "Same with you, little one. You let your mommy rest as much as she can. She really needs it. And remember that I'm right here for you both. Everything is going to be just fine. I'll take care of everything."

He placed another kiss into Neo's hair before letting his eyes close to sleep with the two most important people in the world to him. His heart fluttering like her wings with anticipation for the day they can literally sleep together with their child in their arms.

…

"Geez," Bao said. "It's been two hours and not a single nibble."

"I wonder where all the fish are," Chopper said.

"We should get Neo to come out here and call up some fish for us," Bao said.

"Don't you dare," Ikkaku said. "She needs her rest. Besides, she's not your personally fish summoner. If you want fish that bad, then wait patiently for them to bite."

"We know that," Bao said. "This is just very boring today." He jerked his thumb towards Luffy, who was snoring beside him. "And, look, Straw Hat's been a sleep for an hour and a half. How has he not fallen off the railing?"

"He likes his naps," Usopp said. "He's all the time falling asleep. Even in the most ridiculous times and places. He's just gifted."

"That I do not doubt at all," Bao said. He turned his eyes to the women on the ship. "So what have you three been talking about back there?"

"Women stuff," Ikkaku said, smirking devilishly. "If you really want to hear about it, I'd be glad to tell you all about my bodily functions and my period cramps and my-"

"No! I don't want to hear any of that!" Bao said. "I've gotten enough of that from my sisters!"

"You have sisters?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah," Bao said with a nod. "Three older sisters and one younger sister."

"Big family," Usopp said. "It must have driven you insane to have that many girls around."

"It did," Bao said, shuttering in memory of the things his sisters did to him. "When we were younger they treated me like their personal dress up doll. They even made me sit in a baby stroller when I was nine. It was so humiliating. And they're all the time telling me about their period cramps. I was so ready for when they moved out. But unfortunately all the girly, over sharing stuff didn't stop. They were always at home instead of being at their houses. Thankfully when their own kids came, they started mellowing out finally and spent more time at their own homes. But I'll never get over the trauma they put me through."

"That's good to know," Ikkaku said. "Now I know who to go to when you're being a big pain in the butt."

"Don't you dare go to my sisters for anything of the sort!" Bao said, the color draining from his face. "In fact, don't ever go to them at all! Never ever!"

"Oh," Nami cooed. "It looks like we found the right buttons to push for him when he's getting annoying."

"I'll be sure to inform the captain and Neo of this when I see them later," Ikkaku said. With a bright smile on her lips, she leaned back in her chair with her hands behind her head and one leg crossed over the other.

Bao sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "I never should have said that."

"Well, then just behave from this point on and we won't have a problem," Ikkaku said.

Bao grumbled to himself. "Yeah, sure. Whatever."

"Huh? What happened?" Luffy asked, snapping out of his nap. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing, Straw Hat," Bao said.

"Now that's not true," Ikkaku purred. "We were getting some wonderful information on our new friend Bao here."

"What kind of information?" Luffy asked.

"Nothin-" Bao started.

"His sisters dressed him up as a girl," Ikkaku said.

Luffy busted up laughing. "You were a girl?!"

"What?! Where did you get that from?!" Bao snapped. "I wasn't a girl at all! They _dressed_ me up as a girl!"

"It's still funny!" Luffy continued laughing. "I want to see you like a girl!"

"That's not going to happen!" Bao said.

"Hey, you morons," Sanji said. "Your poles are moving. You've caught something."

"What?!" Luffy and Bao shouted. They tugged up their lines at the same time, revealing a very large sea pig was on their hooks.

"Ah!" Usopp screamed before falling off the railing.

"It's so huge!" Chopper said. "It's got to be twice the size of the Sunny!"

"Great! We have supper then!" Sanji said. He ran towards the railing, jumped off the ship, and slammed his foot onto the sea pig's head, instantly killing it. His feet tapped down on the railing, he pulled out his cigarette and blew out the smoke. "This should be more than enough to feed everyone."

…

Law, with a book in one hand and his other trailing through Neo's blue hair, waited patiently for his love to wake up. He felt her stirring in her sleep before she suddenly gasped and woke up. He turned to her. Placing his book down on the bed, he wrapped his arms around her. "That dream again, huh?"  
"Yeah." Neo nodded before resting against Law's chest. "That stupid dream where your face is missing. I hate it. I wish it would go away or I could figure out why I keep having it every single time I fall asleep."

Law nodded. He too wanted to know why this _dream_ kept repeating itself in Neo's mind whenever she closed her eyes and fell asleep. It was very different from her normal nightmares. Both sensed a bizarre lingering danger from it, but also felt like it wasn't really a very big deal. Or at least not like her other nightmares. This one was more of a dreammare. It wasn't as strong as Neo's nightmares, but it wasn't pleasant like her dreams either. He raked his fingers through her hair again. "You going to be okay?"  
"Yeah," Neo said, nuzzling against him. "I'm just getting tired of not knowing what it means. At least we're finally going to arrive at Zion in the next day or two."

Law nodded. "It'll be good to get you off the sub again."

"More like getting the Summoners off the sub will be good for me," Neo said. "Though I have to admit, since my little blow up at Elek and his willingness to help Topaz, I'm feeling a little better with him on the sub. And I surprised myself a bit by being able to handle Bao when we met in the hall before."

"I think your little blow up was mostly mood swing motivated," Law said. "It was too extreme for it not to be mood swing influenced. You wouldn't have reacted like that on a normal day. I've been thinking about what we've talked about before dealing with your mood swings."

"Oh?" Neo tilted her eyes to him. Her eyes took in the orb on his forehead before she locked eyes with him.

"If you feel like you're going to blow up like that again, try walking away," Law said. "I know it caught you off guard a bit, but I'm sure you felt it coming on when you heard Topaz and Elek talking."

"I guess I did a bit," Neo said.

"If you come across the crew just tell them you need a minute to calm down," Law said. "And if you're feeling comfortable enough to go off on your own, outside of the sub I mean, then feel free to do it. If you don't feel like completely going off on your own, ask someone who'll follow you while also giving you space to calm down. Do you understand?"

"I think so," Neo said. "You want me to walk away when I feel a mood swing coming on that's going to be as bad as it was before. If we're off the sub, I should ask someone like Penguin, Jean Bart, or even Zoro to follow me. They'd give me plenty of place to breath while staying close."

"That correct." Law nodded.

"I think I can do that. I'll just have to focus a bit more on my feelings," Neo said.

"I can help you with that if you want me to," Law said.

"I think I'd like it if you would. At least until I get the hang of picking up on those mood swings," Neo said.

Law nodded.

"And speaking of the Summoner," Neo said. "I can feel his eagle self down in the training room still. Topaz's down there too. He's moving around a lot, but Topaz isn't. Who do you think he's sparring with?" She kneaded her eyebrows with a frown. "It better not be one of our crew."

"It's not," Law said. "He's sparring with Zoro."

"Zoro?" Neo asked.

"Zoro got interested in trying his hand at fighting the Summoner and with that weapon summoning thing he showed us back on the beach," Law said.

"Oh, yeah," Neo said. "I forgot about that. I should have known Zoro would want to spar with him at some point. I wonder how he's doing against a Summoner."

"There's only one way to find out," Law said.

"You coming with me?" Neo asked.

"No, I've got to go check on our heading," Law said. "Bepo should be waiting for me in the navigation room."

Neo whimpered. Pulling away from him, she got up and straddled over his legs. The move caused his hand to fall from her hair to her hip. She put her arms around his neck and pecked his lips. "You're being a _bad boy_. You should always accompany me wherever I go. You know I _hate_ being away from you for even a second."

Law smirked. "No, I'm being a _good captain_ who's making sure we're on the right track to our destination and that nothing's going wrong with the sub. And you know we need time apart no matter how miserable it makes us feel. But I'll be more than glad to be a _bad boy_ for you later."

Neo felt her cheeks heat up when a very sexual thought paraded into her mind from his. "Law!"

"What?" Law said, innocently as possible despite the devilish spark in his eyes. "It's not like we haven't done that before."

"I-I know," Neo stammered, her eyes dropping to his chest. She gave his shirt a nervous tug. "But still…"

Her innocence made him chuckle again. He leaned forward to place a kiss on her forehead. "Still so innocent despite the fact we're having a child and have preformed almost every sex act known to mankind."

"Almost?" Neo said thoughtfully. "I think we have done them all and invented a few along the way. Humans, after all, don't have control over nature or the ability to fly like I do."

Law nodded, humming in delight at the moves they had pulled off with Neo's crystals and wings. "And we're fairly tame with our sex acts though. Imagine what the crew would do with those abilities if they had them."

Neo's eyes widened. Her already red face turned even brighter at his words. She forced herself not to think about it at all. "Law! Please don't say things like that! I _don't_ want to picture them doing any of _that_! If I picture _that_ at all I want it to only involve _us_!"

"I'm sorry, love," Law said, despite his smile. He slipped his hand under the hoodie she was wearing and rubbed her back. "I know you don't like thinking of the crew when they seek romantic companionship."

"I still think I should have the right to order them to not have sexual relations," Neo grumbled. "That way I know they'll never leave."

"You're such a silly little girl," Law said, squeezing her hip.

"Yeah, I know. I can't help it. I love them so much," Neo agreed with a bright smile. While climbing off his lap, she felt her face releasing the heat and going back to normal. She wondered over to the bathroom to take care of her business before she could leave their room. When she came back into the room, she gave her parents' picture a smile before walking over to the door where Law was already waiting for her. She slipped her hand in his and left the room together. They stayed linked by their hands until they had to go their separate ways. Law pecked her lips before heading on down the hall to the navigation room while she wondered down the stairs towards the training room.

The sounds of the sword fight became more and more clear the closer she got to the room. And when she stepped through the door, the musky smell of sweat hit her nose. It wasn't over powerful though. She was use to smelling guys' sweat since her crew trained hard a lot of the time. She watched the two men in the middle of the room exchange a few blows before looking over at Topaz. Her sister was sitting on one of the benches with a light blush dusting across her cheeks as she watched the Summoner man before her. She braced herself to feel jealous, to feel like she was going to snap again whether by a mood swing or not, but she didn't. She did feel a small twinge of jealousy. However, it didn't last long. When it fully disappeared, she wondered over to Topaz. Sitting down on the bench, she wrapped her arms around Topaz's and leaned into her.

"Hey, little sister," Topaz said with a light peck to Neo's hair. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did," Neo said, her eyes drifting back to the two sparring. She tried to figure out how long they had been going at this, but with as much experience they had fighting, she couldn't tell. They really didn't look all that worn out at all. But with the sweat running down their exposed chests and faces, she knew they had been at this for a while. "So how long have they been sparring?"  
"For about four hours," Topaz said.

"Four hours?" Neo said. "And they're not tired yet? I know Zoro has a lot of stamina because he's been training to be a swordsman pretty much his entire life, but how is Elek keeping up with him so easily?"

"Remember Elek has a lot of training in all forms of weapons with his Summoner's powers," Topaz replied. "And with the times he's built ships, he's built up a lot of muscle and stamina himself."

"I guess I didn't really notice that with his shirt on," Neo said. "He just looks so…normal?"

"A lot of guys are like that," Topaz said. "You've noticed the crew is more muscular than they look with their boiler suits on."

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "I never would have thought they had much muscles on them if I never saw them shirtless from time to time."

"Careful," Topaz said. "Don't want the captain to get jealous now, do we?"  
"I might want that to happen," Neo said, smirking. "I love it when he gets jealous. He's so cute. Besides, I owe him for something he said in our room."

"I think I'll let that one pass. So, where is our darling little Surgeon of Death?" Topaz said. "He didn't follow you this time like the love sick puppy he is."

"He said we needed some time apart, as if we haven't spent time apart today already. He's in the navigation room right now," Neo said. "He's talking to Bepo. We should be arriving on Zion within the next day or two and he wanted to make sure everything is going as it should be."

"Wow," Topaz said. "It seems like it's been forever since we started for Zion."

"Tell me about it," Neo said. "Probably feels that way because of all the tension I was creating and dealing with."

"You're feeling better now, aren't you?" Topaz turned her eyes to Neo. Carefully scanning her orange eyes over her little sister and princess. She looked for any signs of jealous but didn't find any.

"Yeah, I'm feeling better since I've been spending more time with Elek," Neo said. "I'm still a little unsure about him, but I can trust him a tiny bit when it comes to you and the crew now. Though I'm still on edge with Bao. But I was able to handle him easily enough when I ran into him earlier."

"You did?" Topaz asked and Neo nodded. "That's great."

"I know," Neo said, nodding. "So who do you think's winning here?"  
"Zoro," Topaz said. "It's clear he's the superior swordsman here. But Elek is giving him a good run for his money."

Neo hummed in thought until she realized something. "Wait you said they were sparring for four hours. That means I slept for about that long?"

"Yeah." Topaz nodded.

"Hm, usually I sleep for only two hours. Guess I was more tired than I thought." Neo's eyes locked back onto the two dueling men. She watched them exchange a few more blows, the glow around Elek's Aura sword flaked off and disappeared like sparks of a fire, until Zoro finally knocked Elek on his back with one easy twirl of his body. The move created a medium size gust in the room. She summoned a wind crystal and absorbed the gale before it would do any kind of damage. She felt Topaz's body tense then go back to normal. Glancing over at the fire Elemental, she saw the slightly worried look in her eyes, before turning back to the men. She said, "At least it's over now."

"Yeah." Topaz nodded. "I guess I got a little glimpse at how you feel when watching the crew spar with each other. But I know it's not as intense for me. You've known the crew a lot longer than I've known Elek. And you're far more protective of the crew too."

"I guess so," Neo said. "Shall we go check on them?"

"Sure," Topaz said.

The two stood up together. Keeping her arm linked with Topaz, Neo quietly followed her over to the men.

…

Elek panted hard while he lay out on the floor of the sub. His chest bounced up and down in desperate for air and relaxation. "You, sir, are one amazing swordsman."

"Thanks," Zoro said. He sheathed his sword and sat down on the floor. "It's my goal to become the world's greatest swordsman."

"I believe you are well on your way to calming that title," Elek said.

"I was starting to wonder if you two were going to quit on your own or quit from exhaustion," Topaz said when she and Neo reached them.

The men looked up to see the two Elemental women standing near them. Neo summoned two water crystals. Engulfing them in cool water, she moved them towards the men, knowing they would need it after their sparring session.

"Thanks," Zoro said, before enjoying a nice long drink of the water offered.

Elek sat up when he saw the water engulfed crystals. He didn't immediately take a drink. He blinked at the water in slight confusion before glancing up at Neo. He watched her for a few seconds. He noted her cheeks were tinted with a slight pink hue and she was having trouble looking at him in the eye.

Neo shrugged while snuggling into Topaz's arm. "You need water too."

"Yes. Thank you, Neo," Elek said. His eyes flickered to Topaz. Both shared a quick smile before he took a well deserved drink of the cool water. "That was just what I needed."

"You know," Zoro then said, brushing the back of his sleeve over his chin. "You're not a bad swordsman at all either. Have you considered becoming one before? I could use a good rival to battle against from time to time."

Elek chuckled. "No, I'm not that good. I just like to dabble in different weapons and fighting forms. I only train enough to hold my own against someone stronger than me when it's needed."

"That's too bad," Zoro said. "With your powers as a Summoner you could have been a real challenge."

"I'm flattered you think so," Elek said. "But I have no intentions of chasing anyone or any titles. You can have it. There is, however, another Summoner on Zion who's a far better swordsman than I am."

"Is that so?" Zoro asked, his eyes and grin sparkled with anticipated danger and promise of a stronger opponent.

"I'll introduce you to him at some point after we arrive on the island," Elek said. "He's always looking for strong opponents to face. But since there aren't many on the island he doesn't get many chances. So he'll welcome your challenge for sure."

"Great," Zoro said. "I can't wait to meet him then."

Then before anyone else could say a word, the two men stomachs released protests of hunger. The girls laughed when the boys blushed.

"It's about time to start getting supper ready anyway," Neo said, getting her laughter under control. "Is there anything you all want? You staying for supper, Zoro?"

"Sure." Zoro nodded. "I'd like to hear more on this Summoner swordsman. And as long as you have booze, I don't care what you make."

"I'm pretty sure the crew can hook you up with some drinks," Neo said, her eyes turned to Elek and Topaz. "What about you two?"  
"Whatever you make will be fine with me," Elek said.

"Same here," Topaz said.

"All right then." Neo headed for the door with a wave to the three as she went. While walking through the halls, she came across Jean Bart at the same time a playful mood swing took her over. She giggled. Her bells released through the hall, causing the large man to turn to her. She summoned her wings and flew over to him. Perching on his shoulder like a bird, she fiddled with his hair. "Hey, Jeany!"

Jean Bart chuckled at her nickname she used on him while going through her playful mood swing. "And where are you heading this evening, Princess?"

"To the galley," Neo said in a childlike tone. "It's time to get supper started. I have to feed my babies soon."

"I can't wait then," Jean Bart said.

"Mhmm." Neo hummed while she started to put small braids into the man's hair.

Despite signing internally, Jean Bart remained very tolerant to the young woman sitting on his shoulder and braiding his hair. And despite the teasing he was going to endure later for this, he still like it when Neo braided his hair. He wasn't sure why though. He just enjoyed it.

"Hm?" Neo released his hair and sat up straighter on his shoulder.

"What is it, Neo?" Jean Bart asked.

"Something's happening in the rec. room," Neo said. "Will you take me there?"

"Of course," Jean Bart said. He turned and headed up the stairs. With his long legs it didn't take them long before they arrived at the rec. room. His eyebrows kneaded together when he heard a strange gurgling like sound coming from the room. Not wanting her to get knocked off by the doorframe, he lifted her off his shoulder and sat her back down on the floor then followed her inside of the room to see what made her come here in the first place and find the source of the strange noise. Looking around he found Bao, Luffy, Shachi, Penguin, and Tero at the table with cards in their hands.

"Hey!" Luffy smiled when he saw his favorite blue haired girl.

"What's going on?" Neo asked.

"We're just playing a little poker," Luffy said, holding up his hands full of cards.

"Uh huh." Neo locked her eyes onto Bao.

"Hello, Neo," Bao said. "How's it going?"  
"Why are you doing that?" Neo asked, narrowing her eyebrows at the Summoner.

"Don't what?" Bao asked innocently.

"Cheating," Neo said bluntly.

"Cheating?" Tero asked. He looked at Bao then at Neo. "What do you mean?"

"You all can't sense it, but he's using his cheetah abilities to run around the table and look at your hands," Neo said, crossing his arms over her chest.

"What?" the pirates said. Their eyes whipped over to the young Summoner. Bao shrunk down into his chair, knowing he was caught.

"So that's why there was a breeze in here!" Penguin said. "We thought you were using your wind crystals!"

Bao twitched and sunk down in his chair.

"Didn't you all hear that gurgling like noise before?" Neo asked.

"Yeah," Luffy said.

"We've been hearing that for a while now," Shachi said.

"You seem to know what it is," Penguin said.

"I do." Neo nodded. She pointed at Bao. "It's a gurgling rhymic pulsation that cheetahs give out when they're in an emotional state of confidence."

"I should have known you would know about that," Bao said.

"Ah, so that's what that sound was," Luffy said, picking his nose.

"Will you stop that, Straw Hat?!" Shachi snapped. "It's gross!"

"Huh? Stop what?" Luffy asked.

"Stop picking your nose!" Shachi said.

"Why? We all do it," Luffy said.

"No we don't!" Shachi said. "Not in public! And not all the time!"

"I thought your luck was a little too high," Tero said, glaring at the young man.

"We should pound your sorry hide right here and now," Penguin said, slamming his hands on the table as he stood up.

"No!" Bao waved his hands. Normally he wouldn't be afraid of pirates here. But that was when he was out in the open and could using his cheetah powers to their fullest. In the sub, he was confined and couldn't go all out. Plus, he would have Neo to escape. And he knew that wouldn't be possible. He knew she was faster with her winds than he was running. "It was just a joke! Honest! I wasn't going to keep your money!"

"You better not keep it," Neo said, crossing her arms over her chest with a stern glare for the Summoner. "And don't you dare ever try to pull this trick again on my family again."

"Yes, ma'am," Bao said, quickly handing back the pirates their money. "I won't do it again. I promise."

"Heading down to make supper?" Penguin then asked as he forced his hidden glare away from Bao.

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "Any requests?"  
"Meat!" Luffy cheered while everyone else said they didn't care. "We caught a sea pig a little while ago! Basil has it now!"

"You always want meat," Tero said.

"Meat is so good!" Luffy said.

Tero sighed at the one track minded captain. "How in the world have you survived being a pirate for this long?"

"I'll get right on that," Neo said before leaving the rec. room. "We should have enough for you."

"Hey, Jean Bart!" She heard Shachi say before getting to far from the door. "Nice hair!"

Soon heavy thumps of Jean Bart's feet filled the sub halls. It was followed by Shachi's screeching, more stomping of feet, incoherent screams and pleas, and a couple of other thumps that suggested that some things got knocked over, one possibly being the table itself before Shachi came bolting out of the rec. room with Jean Bart hot on his heels. Jean Bart screamed, "Come back here!"

"No!" Shachi replied.

Neo hummed to herself while watching the two men disappear from her sight. "I really need to figure out how to stop braiding his hair like that when I get into one of my playful mood swings. I never realize I'm doing it." She giggled. "All well. It was fun, but I'll talk to Law about it later. Maybe I can walk away from those kind of mood swings as well?"

Humming to herself again, she began to skip down the hall towards the galley, her wings flittering behind her as she went. Once she reached the galley she found Basil already inside. He was bustling around the kitchen, pulling out pans and food items for their next meal. "Basil!"

"Hey, Princess," Basil said. "Ready to cook?"  
"Aren't I always?" Neo asked. She moved over to the counter, washed her hands before sitting down on a stool. She pulled a bowl of potatoes over to her and started peeling them. She eyed the ingredients that Basil had setting out on the counter tops. He had everything out for her favorite Sea Pig Chowder recipe and already made up piecrusts for her Fried Pies. "I see we're having chowder and pies."

"Any objections to that?" Basil said. "I was going to ask you before I started all this but you were asleep."

"No objections at all," Neo said. "As long as we have plenty of meat for Luffy. He said he caught a sea pig earlier"

"I think we have enough for him," Basil said. "The sea pig he and Bao brought over is very huge. Sanji sent the extra because Luffy was coming over here for a poker game. He knew Luffy would choose to stay over here and eat. He wanted to make sure we have enough to feed him. He figured Zoro would also stay over here."

Neo huffed. She was starting to feel annoyed at her self for sleeping so much and missing out on stuff that was going on in her home. "I seem to be missing a lot while napping. I slept for four hours today."

"Don't feel so annoyed with yourself," Basil said. "You're probably only sleeping longer because you're still stressed out over what's been happening. I'm sure you'll get back to your two hour naps once we're on Zion and things settle down more."

"Yeah, I hope so," Neo said, slicing off more of the potato skin. "So how have you been doing these past few days? I don't mean to leave you with the majority of the cooking."

"I'm doing just fine," Basil said. He grabbed the two yellow onions, a knife, a cutting board, and then joined Neo at the counter. He placed all his things out before he began to cut through the onion.

Neo's stomach lurched a bit at the smell of the onions. Before they could cause her to run out of the room, she summoned a wind crystal and blew the smell away from her. "I wish onions didn't make me want to hurl. I love them so much."

"Honestly, I never thought onions would bother you since you're an Elemental," Basil said. "I guess that's just one similarity you hold with human pregnancies."

"Me too," Neo said. She reached out and grabbed a piece of onion then popped it into her mouth. "The smell bothers me but the taste is as good as ever."

Basil laughed. "At least you can still eat them."

Neo nodded with a smile.

"Uh, Neo?" Bao's voice then said.

The two cooks turned to see the young man watching them. Basil narrowed his eyebrows. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"It's all right, Basil," Neo said.

"You sure?" Basil asked, not taking his eyes off the intruder. "I can kick him out for you if you want."

"It's fine," Neo said. "What did you want, Bao?"

"I just wanted to apologize again," Bao said, rubbing the back of his head. "I really was just playing a trick. I'm not a thief. You can ask Elek. He'll back me up on that. I just didn't expect them to not notice what I was doing. After the game ended I was going to give them their money back."

"Give them their money back?" Basil asked.

"He was using his cheetah Summoner abilities to look at other's hands while playing poker," Neo said.

"I see," Basil said, frowning at the Summoner. "We don't take kindly to cheaters around here."

"Honest!" Bao waved his hands frantically. "It was really just a joke! Ask Elek!"

Neo studied the man's jade eyes. As much as she didn't want to believe him, she could see that he was telling the truth. "All right. I believe you."

"What?" Bao and Basil asked, turning their eyes to her.

"I can tell you're telling the truth," Neo said. "So I won't hold it against you. Just keep your promise and never do it again. I don't want any misunderstanding to happen from this point on."

"Neo?" Basil asked, a bit surprised at his captain's behavior.

Neo smiled at the confused cook. "Really, it's fine. I'm trying to work better on dealing with new people."

"Okay," Basil said.

"Well, I'll just go now," Bao said, moving back towards the door.

"No," Neo said.

"Huh?" Bao paused.

"Neo?" Basil asked.

Neo twitched a bit on her stool. She flicked her wings a couple times, considering her next move. She wasn't sure she really wanted to do what she was about to. But she knew it would be good for her if she did. So, after biting her bottom lip, she looked directly at Bao and said, "You're going to stay and help with supper."

"I…am?" Bao asked, completely shocked.

"He is?!" Basil asked, just as shocked.

"Yes," Neo said with a firm nod. "Use him as you like while we're cooking, Basil. Consider this his punishment for his little trick on the crew. And he will be the one to do the dishes after we're done."

"Well, okay, but I have to warn you I'm not the best cook in the world," Bao said, slowly moving towards the two pirates.

"That doesn't matter," Neo said, going back to her potatoes. "No strangers, outside of restaurants, are allowed to cook for my babies anyway. You're just going to assist us. Basil and I will handle the actual cooking."

"All right then," Bao said, sitting down on a stool. "What shall I do?"  
"Start with cutting up this onion," Basil said, shoving the knife and onion towards the young man.

"Great," Bao said, shoulders slumped. "My _favorite_."

Basil snickered, glade that he decided to make the Summoner cut the onions instead of doing it himself.

"I'm not going to enjoy this, am I?" Bao asked, making the first cut into the onion.

"Punishment is not meant to be enjoyed," Neo said. "Maybe next time you'll think twice before pulling a trick like that on my babies."

"Yeah, yeah," Bao mumbled. Making another cut then wiping the back of his arm over his eyes. "I hate onions."

Neo forced back a giggle. It felt good exercising her captain authority here. She settled back down into helping the preparations for supper while Basil ran the Summoner around the galley as much as he could.

…

 **Author's Notes: You all are right. Neo did come off as a real brat in that last chapter. No matter how I tried to soften it up, she just came out that way.**

 **Guest: Elemental mood swings are more intense than human ones. Though we shouldn't have anymore like that now.**

 **Apple Bloom: No worries. I don't mind at all if you tell me you don't like something. I didn't like that part either. I rewrote it a bit, but she still comes out as a brat. That should be the only time though.**


	8. To Zion P5

To Zion

Part Five

It was early. Way earlier than when Neo was use to waking up. She didn't know why she woke up so early, she just did. Stretching out, she reached for Law through her sleepy haze to find he wasn't there. His side of the bed was cool so she knew he had been gone for a while. Waking up a bit more, she sensed him in the bathroom. She then heard the shower turn off. She rolled over on her back, rubbing some of the sleep out of her eyes before slowly pulling herself to the edge of the bed.

Placing her feet on the warm floor, she stood up. By the time she had reached the door to the bathroom Law already had the door open for her. She entered into the smaller room to find Law was standing at the sink with a towel around his hips and was lathering up his face to shave. He said, "You're up early."

"Mhmm." Neo hummed while placing her lips to Law's warm, slightly damp back then walked on by to use the facilities. Once her hands were washed, she sat up on the counter and took the razor from Law's hand. Carefully, she ran the blade over his skin, shaving him. "I guess I'm just nervous about arriving at Zion. Will you nap with us later?"

"Yes," Law said.

"You're such a good boy," Neo said.

"I'm always a good boy," Law said.

"Sure you are," Neo said, smirking at him. Both knew that wasn't true at all. "You were definitely a good boy when you sent those hundred pirate hearts to the Navy Headquarters."

Law chuckled. "I did that for you."

"You did that for your revenge," Neo said, narrowing her eyebrows at him.

"I did it for you too," Law said, digging his fingers into her side.

Neo squeaked. Her body jumped at the touch, almost falling off the sink. But Law stepped closer to her, using his own body to keep her from falling off. "Okay, you did it for me too, but mostly your revenge. And you are _never_ allow to take revenge like that again."

"I will if someone hurts you," Law said. He leaned forward, he pressed his lips to hers and rubbed the shaving cream onto her face.

"Ah! Law!" Neo giggled. "I'm not the one who needs to shave!"

"You think so?" Law asked, running his hands over her exposed thighs. "It feels like you need to."

"Well, I've been a bit busy lately," Neo said.

"You have not," Law said, leaning back so she could finish shaving him.

"I've been busy worrying over you," Neo said. "That's something. That's very thing. I'm ready for this to get started so I know how it's actually going to go."

"I know. We'll be there tomorrow," Law said as he continued to rub his hands over her legs. "But at least you've gotten better with the Summoners."

"A bit," Neo said, swishing the razor in the water. "Especially after torturing Bao in the kitchen last night."

"And I am so proud of how you handled that whole situation." Law chuckled. A sense of pride swelled up in his chest when Neo told him what she did to the young Summoner. He has definitely rubbed off on her, even if it was just a tiny little bit.

"Well, he deserved it," Neo said. "And if I know my boys as well as I know I do, I know they're going to seek their own revenge for what he did."

"And I get the feeling you encouraged that," Law said, lifting an eyebrow at him.

"Me?" Neo asked with an innocent look. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Penguin and Shachi get into mischief on their own. They don't need me to help them with that or pull Tero into their little game of revenge."

"And Straw Hat?" Law asked.

"I'm not sure what he's going to do," Neo said. "He might help when Shachi and Penguin bring their plan to him."

"What are they planning?" Law asked.

"I'm not exactly sure," Neo said. "But I know they'll _attack_ him after we arrive on Zion. For now they're only pretending they're very upset with him for what he did. I don't think they're going to do anything serious though. Just some playful revenge to knock down his ego a bit."

"Well, in that case I might join them," Law said.

"Oh, no you will not," Neo said, narrowing her eyebrows at him again.

"Why not?" Law smirked.s

"Because you would unleash your sadistic side on him," Neo said, poking him in the chest.

"And that's a bad thing?" Law asked. He leaned down and nipped her neck. "He might have backed off a tiny bit in trying to flirt with you, but I know he hasn't given up completely."

"I noticed that too when he didn't try and flirt with me last night in the galley," Neo said, tilting her head a bit for him. "It's fine thought. I can handle him better now."

"Good," Law said as he continued to ravage her neck.

Neo hummed, tilting her head this way and that as Law moved his lips over her tender skin. "As much as I like where this is going, I really should get to the galley to help Basil with breakfast."

"What are we having?" Law asked barely breaking away from her skin.

"Rice omelets with fresh fruit," Neo said, wrapping her legs around Law, pulling him even closer. "That is, if you'll let me go."

Law chuckled, his lips vibrating on her skin. "Says the one who's trapped me with her legs."

"You're the one who started this," Neo said, running her hands through his hair.

"And I would love to finish it if you weren't so hungry," Law said, feeling her cravings for the food she just mentioned.

"Pregnancy really has its downsides," Neo said, pressing a kiss to his shoulder.

"I suppose it does," Law said. Releasing his hold on her, he grabbed his towel and wiped their faces clean of his shaving cream. He then reclaimed his hold on her and carried her out into their bedroom and over to their closet. "But I might be able to make up for it."

"Oh? And what do you have in mind?" Neo asked before licking his ear.

"Just stand here and watch." Law placed her back down on her feet. He opened their closet door then turned back to her to grab a hold of the shirt, of his, she was wearing. He kissed her lips before pulling the shirt off of her small body. He allowed the shirt to fall to the floor then trailed his skillful fingers over her exposed skin, lightly pinching, and rubbing over her earning several moans and hums of pleasure. And one by one he began pulling her clothes on her while continuing to brush his fingers and hands over her body.

"That was amazing," Neo said once she was fully dressed in their favorite hoodie and a pair of black shorts. "I'll have to remember that and let you dress me from now on."

"Only on special occasions," Law said. "I don't want you to get lazy."

"Oh, but it would be so worthy it," Neo said, reaching for his towel. She tugged it off, allowing it to join her nightshirt on the ground, before reaching in the closet for a pair of his boxers. She then in turn worked her own hands over his exposed flesh before reluctantly pulling on his clothes. "There. Now wasn't that fun?"  
"Indeed," Law said, pecking her lips in gratitude.

"Shall we go? Or shall we stay here a little bit longer?" Neo asked.

"We go," Law said, slipping his arm around her shoulders. "You're hungry."

"And again with the pregnancy," Neo said with a sigh. "You know, you're a very good surgeon."

"I'm getting the feeling I don't want to know where this is going," Law said. He opened their door and guided her out into the hall before closing it again.

"Surely you could figure out some way to make it where the man has to carry the child half of the pregnancy," Neo said.

"Sorry, love," Law said. "As much as I would love to make that happen for you, men's bodies just weren't created to carry a child. That's the woman's job. Has been since the first man and woman bred to fill the planet."

"I know," Neo said. "But it's a nice thought."

"It is," Law said. "At least you don't have to carry for nine months like humans."

"That is a plus," Neo said thoughtfully. "Imagine how many dirty looks I'd get from women if they knew that."

"I imagine some would give you dirty looks, but a lot will probably be too afraid of ticking you off," Law said.

Neo hummed in thought then said, "No, they'd be more afraid of ticking _you_ off. You're the infamous Surgeon of Death after all. I'm just your cute, innocent wife who got pulled along for the ride by a bizarre twist of fate."

"That's one way to look at it," Law said, nodding to a passing subordinate.

"Seems like the only way to look at it at times," Neo said. "I mean, when people die they're suppose to either go to Heaven or Hell and have no memory of life here. So how is it possible that Cora was able to keep an eye on me so much?"

"I don't know," Law said. "No one really knows what happens when we die. And a lot of people believe that guardian angels exist. So I guess Cora is just your guardian angel."

Neo paused.

Law stopped and looked back at her when she suddenly stopped walking. "What?"  
She smiled tenderly, placing her hand on her stomach. "He's _our_ guardian angel, Law. Remember if it wasn't for Cora taking you around to all those doctors and then getting the Op Op Devil Fruit we wouldn't be here right now."

Law nodded. "Of course. He's _our_ guardian angel. I guess I'm just more happy that he brought you to me than keeping me alive."

"You dork." Neo smacked him on the chest. "We're tied together by him. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't survived? I probably would have eventually succeeded in killing myself. I'm not immortal after all. Not even with my solar crystal."

"I prefer not to think about it," Law said, pressing his forehead to hers. "I prefer to think in the here and now."

"Yeah," Neo said, touching her nose to his. "It's a lot better than thinking about what might have been."

"Much better." Law pecked her lips then continued on guiding her to the galley.

Like always, Basil was in there before they were. He looked up from gathering utensils when felt someone walk into the room. He said, "Oh, well this is a surprise. I didn't expect you to be up for another hour."

"I just woke up for some reason," Neo said with a light shrug. She separated from Law, who went to sit down at the table where the newspaper was already waiting for him, and headed over to Basil. "So I thought I'd come and help you instead of just laying there for another hour. Besides I am so hungry. _I need food_."

"Well, you know where everything is." Basil winked.

Neo rolled her eyes before starting to look through their food supplies. She ended up with her favorite snack and a small bowl of oatmeal. She nibbled on them here and there while breaking eggs into a large round bowl. As she did that, Basil pulled out a variety of meat, rice, vegetables, and spices to add into the omelets. Soon the galley was filled with sizzling omelets and spices floating through the air as Neo summoned several earth crystals to create fresh fruit for them all. It didn't take long after that before the crew started wondering into the galley to fill their plates. And when Shachi and Penguin walked in they made sure give to Bao the stink eye, which was surprisingly easy to pull off considering both their sets of eyes were covered.

"What?" Bao asked.

"One of these days, Bao," Elek said. "You're going to do something that really gets you into trouble."

"What?" Bao asked again.

Elek just shook his head and headed for the table. He sat down in the empty seat beside Topaz. Leaning over to view Neo, he said, "Good morning, Neo."

"Good morning," Neo replied with a smile. "Are you excited about finally returning home tomorrow?"  
"I am." Elek nodded. "I can't wait for you all to see Zion. I think you'll be surprised at what the Elementals have done to the place."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Neo asked.

"You'll have to wait and see," Elek said. "But, since we're talking about it, I think it might be a good idea to go ahead and put the orbs on you and Topaz tonight. If that's okay with you."

"Any reason why?" Neo asked.

Law looked up from his meal. He thought the exact same question.

"Nothing serious," Elek said. "I just figured you'd like a little time to adjust to it being on you before we finally reach Zion. We should be there about nine o'clock in the morning."

"Oh?" Neo looked at Bepo.

"He's correct." Bepo nodded. "I check with Nami too. With how you pushed us along with your wind crystals we're arriving about six hours earlier than we should have."

"I see," Neo said before turning to Law. She locked eyes with him, contemplating the orb that's going to be on her forehead. "I guess that will be all right."

"Great!" Bao said with a bright smile. "I'll be sure to-"

"I'll be putting the orbs on them, Bao," Elek said, giving his friend a stern look. "You're far too eager, especially after what you did with the poker game last night."

"Oh, you heard about that, huh?" Bao asked, his cheeks tinting a light pink.

"It's a small sub," Elek said before giving him a malicious grin. "And I'm going to be sure to give the Heart and Straw Hat Pirates your sisters addresses."

"No!" Bao begged, his face draining of all color. "Please! No! Anything but that!"

"It all depends on how you act from now on," Elek said.

"His sisters?" Neo asked.

"I'll tell you about it later," Ikkaku said.

"Can we eat now?" Tero asked. "Or are we going to let the food get cold?"

"Food never gets cold around here with Neo and Topaz around," Penguin said.

"I don't care," Tero said, reaching for an omelet. "I'm eating now."

"Since when did we need permission to eat?" Shachi asked.

Chuckles spread throughout the galley before they all started to dive into the meal that the two cooks had set out for them. The chuckles were quickly replaced with talk as the crew spoke about what Zion was going to be like, what they felt like doing today, and other assorted conversations. In the middle of all of the morning ruckus, Ikkaku spoke out. She said, "Hey, Neo. Don't make plans for later today."

"Okay, why?" Neo asked, looking up from her breakfast.

"We girls are going to head over to the Straw Hats' ship for a while," Ikkaku said with a wink.

"Sounds like fun to me," Bao said.

"Get your ears checked. I said we _girls_ are going over to the Straw Hats," Ikkaku said, pointing her fork at him. "That means all you _men_ are staying over here."

"That's not very nice of you," Bao said.

"Yes, it is," Ikkaku said, jabbing her fork at the young man. "Because it's the only warning I'm giving you. What we're doing over there is _girls only_. And you will regret it if you try and come over there with us. Only Chopper, Franky, and Sanji are going to be allowed to stay on the ship. Bepo's also allowed to come over if he wants to."

"Really?" the bear asked.

"If you want." Ikkaku winked at him.

"Why do they get the special treatment?" Bao grumbled.

"The Straw Hats have duties to preform while we're over there. Chopper and Bepo are animals," Ikkaku said. "The rest of you guys do not have any duties to preform nor are you animals, well the furry kind anyway. Animals you are."

"Hey!" the Heart Pirates, most of them, protested.

"And if it's also all right, we could have the orbs put on after our little fun over on the Sunny," Topaz said.

Neo kneaded her eyebrows at her sister. "Now you've got me curious as to what's going to happen over there. But all right, we can do it after that."

"You're taking Neo away from us without telling us why?" Shachi asked.

"You can't do that," Penguin said. "She's our sister. We have a right to know what she's going to be doing. Correct, Neo?" He turned his hidden eyes to her.

"Uh," Neo said, looking around at them all. They all wanted to know what she was going to be doing over there. She didn't even know what she would be doing. She looked to Law. When he shrugged at her, she could tell easily enough that he didn't know what was up with this either. She then turned her eyes to Topaz, which only earned her a wink and a mischievous grin from the fire wielder. "Sorry, guys, but I'm apparently out of the loop here myself. I have no choice but to go along with whatever they have planned."

"Spoken like a true leader," Ikkaku said with a firm nod.

"What?! She wasn't being a leader right then!" Shachi and Penguin snapped. "She was just being a little sister!"

"What are you talking about?" Ikkaku asked, peaking through one eye. "Of course she's being a great leader."

"She is not!" Shachi and Penguin growled.

"Does this have something to do with you whispering to the Straw Hat women when we were on their ship yesterday?" Bao asked.

"I shall neither confirm nor deny what we were talking about during that time," Ikkaku said. She picked up her dishes, stood up, and walked them over to the sink without another word or look in their direction as she left the galley.

"Neo!" Shachi and Penguin shouted, turning to her.

"Sorry, guys," Neo said. "I'm not going to force them to tell me what's going on. It's clear they have something planned. I'm just going to wait and see what it is. I'll tell you about it afterwards."

"Aw," the boys whined before finally giving up.

"Children," Tero scoffed.

...

"Hm, why is it always so nice waking up to you?" Neo said while snuggling up against Law after a much needed nap. "You always smell so nice too. You should stitch us together so we never have to part."

"As much fun as that sounds, I can't do that," Law said, trailing his finger through her hair.

"You could. You just don't want to," Neo said. "So what do you think the girls have planned for me?"

"I don't even know where to start guessing what they're up to," Law said. "But with how they're limiting and threatening the men from going over to the Sunny, it probably has something to do with you all shedding your clothes."

"Hm, I never thought of it like that," Neo said. "Sanji could be staying because he's the cook. And Franky because he's the shipwright and someone needs to make sure we're staying on course. Chopper and Bepo are animals so them seeing us naked wouldn't matter. I'm really starting to get curious now."

"Well, they're probably waiting for you," Law said. "You should go."

"Yeah, but I still want to stay with you," Neo said. "Or you could come with me."

"As much as I would like that, I get the feeling Ikkaku wouldn't allow me to stay despite being her captain," Law said.

"Of course she would," Neo said. "You're with me. You're my wonderful husband. If I wanted you there they'd let you be there."

"I'm not going," Law said.

"What if Sanji tries to make a move on me?" Neo asked.

"You're so cute when you're trying to manipulate me," Law said, pecking her nose.

"I stink at manipulation," Neo said.

"Yes, you do," Law said.

"Well, at least I can put you in a trance and use my pheromones on you when I feel like it," Neo said, running her hand through his hair. "That'll get you to come with me."

"Yes, and as much as you want to use your pheromones, you're not going to use it," Law said.

"Sometimes it stinks that you know me so well," Neo said, removing her hand from his hair.

"When are the girls coming for you?" Law asked.

"They're not. I'm meeting them over on the Sunny," Neo said. "They said they had some stuff to get ready before I came over and they had to get the rest of the Straw Hats off the ship."

"How are they going to get Straw Hat off the ship?" Law asked.

"I asked that as well," Neo said. "They said they were going to have Sanji bribe him with meat. Apparently, he's making Luffy a large meat dish before kicking him off the ship and as long as he stays over here until we're done, he'll make him another meat dish afterwards."

"Such a simple minded moron," Law grumbled.

"Oh, you like him and you know it," Neo said.

"I do not," Law said.

"You do too," Neo said. Pushing up on the bed, she straddled over him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You just don't want to admit that you like Luffy."

"Not true," Law said.

"So true," Neo said. "Especially after he helped take down Doflamingo. Despite being a team during that time and currently, you actually feel indebted to Luffy."

"Some times it stinks that you know me so well," Law said.

"Then we're even," Neo said before closing the gap between their lips. She tightened her hold on him, pulling him closer to her body while his hands roamed over her own body. She lightly kissed his lips then growled when he didn't part for her. She sucked his bottom lip in between her lips, sucking on it while she moved her hands up to his hair. _'You better let me in.'_

Law chuckled then parted his lips for her. For payment in denying her entrance, he allowed her to dominate their kissing until she was finally ready to pull away from him. "Sweet, but intense."

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "And as much as I hate to leave, I think I've delayed long enough." She pecked his lips once more before finally crawling off of him and heading for the door. "What are you going to do while I'm gone? Besides miss me?"

"I need to speak with the Summoners again," Law said, crawling of the bed. "I need more information on where we're staying and how the docks for the islands are laid out."

"Oh, never thought of that," Neo said. "I'm so glad you're the captain. You always think of everything."

"Not always, but I try to take good care of my crew," Law said, following her out the door.

"You sure do. Well, see you later." Neo waved to him before summoning her wings. She flicked them a couple times before flying up the stairs. On her way up, she ran across the Straw Hats. She giggled upon seeing Luffy's round stomach from all of the meat Sanji had prepared him. "Hey, guys!"

"Hey, Neo," Usopp said.

"Good day to you, Neo," Brook said, tipping his hat.

"Thanks a lot for kicking us off our ship," Zoro said.

"Sorry. I didn't know about any of this," Neo said, hovering in the air. "But you all are free to do what you wish over here. Some of the crew might train with you Zoro. And they'll be more than glad to share their booze."

"Great," Zoro said, now smiling. "That makes up for this then."

"So what are you girls doing over on the Sunny?" Luffy asked.

"Weren't you listen?! She said she didn't know about any of this!" Usopp growled, smacking his hand to Luffy's cheek.

"But that's not fair! The Sunny is my ship!" Luffy said.

"You better behave, Luffy," Brook said. "Or else you won't get the meat Sanji promised to make you."

"Oh, I almost for got about that," Luffy said.

"So, how exactly did you all get over here?" Neo asked, eyeing Luffy's protruding stomach.

"I kicked him over," Zoro said, jerking his thumb at Luffy. "Then I jumped with Brook and Usopp under my arms."

"It was scary. I thought I was going to fall into the ocean and die," Brook said. "But then, I'm already dead. Yohohoho."

"I thought I was going to die too," Usopp said, glaring at Zoro. "Give more warning next time."

"You guys are so silly," Neo said, flying past them. "Well, I have to get going now. I'll see you all later. And, Luffy, try not to bother Law too much."

"Okay!" Luffy waved with a big smile then dashed down the hall. "I'm going to go find Tra!"

…

Law wondered down to the crews quarters and over to the Summoners' quarters. With the door shut, he had to knock. Soon after, Elek's muffled voice said, "It unlocked. Come on in."

Law opened the door and stepped inside. Both of the Summoners were on their bunks. Elek was reading a book while Bao was just laying there, starting up at the ceiling. Elek sat his book down, and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

"No, I just had a few questions," Law said. He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms.

"Then shoot," Elek said.

"I'm assuming that Zion is like any other island," Law said. "With hotels to house our two crews?"

"We have hotels," Elek said. "But we're going to be setting you all up in apartments."

"In apartments? Why?" Law asked.

"It'll be more comfortable than living in hotels during your training," Elek said.

"They're really nice," Bao added. "Neo will really love them."

Law glared at Bao.

"She will," Bao said. "All of the Elementals like them. Once you get there you'll see why."

"Whatever," Law continued. "What about our sub? We won't want to part with it for very long. We still have to keep an eye on it so no one tries to steal it, our possessions, and make sure the sub is properly taken care of."

"There's a dock near the apartments where you'll be staying in," Elek said. "You'll be able to easily secure your ships with no problems what so ever. And I'm sure plenty of the Elementals will help keep an eye on your things. You're going to need to focus completely on training."

"It won't be easy either," Bao said. "You'll have to start with learning how to manipulate your aura, then work on becoming a First Level Summoner and work up to the top. And hopefully get enough control so the Mortem Orb doesn't take control of you if it breaks free or something."

"Take control of me?" Law asked. "What do you mean?"  
Elek shot Bao a glare then looked at Law. "He means sometimes inexperienced Summoners can lose control and damage things around them. But as long as you get the proper training and don't get in over your head, you'll be just fine. We told you the same thing back on the beach."

Law nodded. He remember them saying stuff like that back on the beach but something about this time felt a bit odd to him. But he wasn't exactly sure why. If this was all just the same speech they gave before, why did Elek glare at Bao just now? "What about-" Law started before he was interrupted.

"Tra!" Luffy called out. "Tra! Where are you?!"

"Just great." Law pinched the bridge of his nose.

"There you are!" Luffy said, his thudding footsteps filling up the otherwise silent hall. He ran up to the surgeon and peaked inside of the room. "What are you guys doing?"

"Talking," Law said.

"What? That's boring. Let's have some fun," Luffy said.

"Go have fun by yourself," Law said. "We're busy."

"But being by yourself is no fun at all," Luffy said with a pout. "I know from experience. Life is way more fun when you have other people to be with."

"Well, there are plenty of _other people_ you can be with right now," Law said. "So go bother them."

"But you're the one I want to see and talk to," Luffy said. "Neo's busy with the other women. I'd talk to her if I could."

"I'd like to talk to her as well," Bao said. "We should go over there."

"Don't you dare," Law said, glaring at both the Summoner and the Straw Hat captain. "If you even attempt it, I'll several you both into multiple pieces and stick you on random parts of the sub."

"Aw, you're just no fun at all," Luffy said, dropping his shoulders.

"Yeah, no fun at all," Bao said.

"Excuse me, Captain, Jean Bart then said, appearing at the door.

"What is it?" Law asked.

"We're starting up a poker game and was wondering if any of you all would like to join us," Jean Bart said.

"No, I don't think so," Law said.

"I'm not interested either," Elek said. "I'll just stay here and read my book. Bao, you should go. It'll keep you out of trouble, for the most part."

"Fine." Bao stood up and headed for the door. "I was bored anyway. You coming, Straw Hat?"  
"Hm." Luffy hummed before nodded in agreement. "Yeah! I'm coming!"

Law watched them disappear down the hall. His eyebrows rose on his forehead when Jean Bart turned back and winked at him with a smile. He nodded back his appreciation for the older man getting Luffy away from him. Despite his threat, he really didn't want to stick their body parts all over the sub. If he did that, he knew he wouldn't be able to contain his sadistic desires to torture them mercilessly. He turned back to the Summoner.

"Often feels like we're babysitting grown men, doesn't it?" Elek asked.

"It sure does," Law said with a nod. "Now what was Bao saying about the apartments?"

"The Elementals were the ones who built the apartments," Elek said. "I won't ruin the surprise. I'll let you all see it for yourselves. I decided that you all were going to stay there because of what they've done and their own desire for wanting their princess to stay there."

"I see," Law said. "You're definitely one for thinking ahead."

"I try," Elek admitted. "But some things no one can prepare for. Like running into an Elemental royal who's married to the infamous Surgeon of Death. I honestly never thought we'd have people like you all coming to Zion. Sometimes really weird things just happen."

Law nodded. He couldn't agree more with that statement. Then for some reason, he felt a bit odd towards the Summoner's words. And it bugged him. He started questioning whether or not this was really a good idea to go there. But what choice did they have? He had to get this new power under control. He didn't hurt anyone with it the first time, not too badly anyway, if he didn't get it under control then next time they might not be so lucky. He had no choice but to put his faith in these two Summoners. "So is the orb you're putting on Neo and Topaz the same one as I'm wearing?"

"Pretty much." Elek nodded. He put his book down and got off his bed. Digging into his pocket, he walked over to the surgeon. He pulled out the two orbs and showed them to Law. "Only theirs will have a green tint to them. The green tint was added to keep the orbs separate. It wouldn't be a good thing if we put one of these on you. You're powers needed to be kept in."

Law nodded in understanding.

"There is one other thing I need to tell you about," Elek said. "I haven't been able to find the right time to bring this up."

"What is it?" Law asked.

"When you get your animal guardian," Elek said then paused for a few seconds. "It's going to hurt."

Law's eyebrows rose on his forehead.

"It'll feel like gravity is trying to pull you down into the center of the planet and like hundreds of thousands of needles are being stabbed into you," Elek said.

"I see," Law said, displeased that this Summoner kept that from him for so long.

"I know I probably should have told you sooner," Elek said. "I just wasn't sure how Neo was going to react to it."

Law nodded. He understood that part. Now all he had to do is figure out how and when he was going to tell Neo about it.

…

 _He's so going to annoy Law._ Neo thought to herself as she watched Luffy disappear down the hall, shortly followed by Brook, Usopp, and Zoro. She then flew out the main door to the sub. The sun was warm on her skin and her wings. It felt great to her. She breathed in the salty air before flying over to the Sunny. The women greeted, and Franky who was at the helm, her when she landed.

"Hey, Neo!" Franky waved. "It's a super nice day, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is." Neo waved back.

"About time you got over here," Ikkaku said.

"Sorry," Neo said. "I couldn't pull myself away from Law."

"Nothing new there," Ikkaku said.

"So what exactly are we doing?" Neo asked.

"Come with us and you'll see," Nami said, linking her arm with Neo's.

"You're going to love it!" Chopper said.

"So you're in on this too?" Neo asked.

"I am." Chopper nodded.

"Where's Sanji?" Neo asked. "And Bepo? I guess he decided not to come over after all."

"Sanji's in the kitchen preparing snacks for us," Robin said.

"Bepo decided he wanted to stay on the sub," Topaz added. "I guess he didn't want to be around a bunch of women primping."

"Primping?" Neo tilted her head. "We're going to do our hair?"

"Part of the time," Topaz said.

"Have fun, girls!" Franky called just as they reached the top of the stairs.

Neo remained quiet and patient as her friends lead her to the bathhouse of the Sunny. Once inside she was surprised to see some things had changed a bit in here. The bathhouse now resembled a spa. "Huh?"

"Surprise!" they all yelled. "Happy Spa Day, Neo!"

"You mean…" Neo started, too shocked to say anymore.

"Do you like it?" Chopper said. "Topaz was the one that suggested it. We all agreed. We thought you could really use a little down time with the girls and relax before we reached Zion." He got a little worried when Neo didn't say anything. "Neo, you do like it, don't you?"

"Oh, of course I do, Chopper." Neo knelt down and pulled the reindeer into her arms. "I'm just shocked. I never would have thought of doing this. You all are so amazing."

"I'm so glad," Chopper said, hugging her back. "I was so worried when you didn't say anything."

"Sorry I made you worry," Neo said, standing up with him in her arms. "So what first?"

"First we all take a nice hot soak in the bath," Nami said.

"As long as it's not too hot," Chopper said. "Remember, we have a baby on board."

"Yes, of course," Nami said, walking over to the tub. She plugged the hole and began filling the tub with water.

"I'm a bit surprised that you two went for this," Neo said to Topaz and Ikkaku. "You never seemed to care about primping on the sub."

"I think all girls like to pamper themselves, even if it's just a little bit," Ikkaku said. "We just don't mostly because we don't have the time to do it, but also because we don't want to catch grief from the guys."

"I say you should still do it occasionally," Nami said. "Then if the guys do make fun of you ambush them later while they're sleeping. You can put make up on them and tie cute little pink ribbons in their hair."

"That sounds like fun," Ikkaku said. "I'll have to remember that."

"As long as we don't get into trouble with the captain," Topaz said.

"Ugh! Sometimes I think you're a little too loyal, Top," Ikkaku said. "But I guess that just comes with serving a princess and working in her castle for so long."

"Maybe I am." Topaz smiled while she walked over to the cabinet. She pulled out towels for them all and walked them back over to the group. She chuckled when Ikkaku lifted an accusing eyebrow at the maid move she just did. "I guess it's true that old habits die hard."

"Never mind that. Let's have some fun now," Nami said, dropping some scented balls into the water.

"Yeah!" they all agreed then stripped their clothes from their bodies. They all then wrapped a towel around their bodies and crawled into the tub, a few sitting on the edges of it with just their feet dipped in. After a good relaxing soak and watching Chopper float around in his floaty, they took turns rubbing relaxing body wash on their bodies then got out and headed out to the deck with robes wrapped around their bodies.

"By the way, Topaz, you're sure you're ready for your hair to be cut?" Nami asked as they made their way back to the deck.

"Yes. As much fun as it is to have long hair, I prefer the easier maintenance of shorter hair," Topaz said, twirling a strand of her long hair.

"I think I'll miss seeing you with long hair," Neo said. "I've gotten so use to it now."

"You'll get use to it being short again," Topaz said. "After all, that's how you're use to seeing me. And you've seen me with shorter hair longer than with long hair."

"Yeah." Neo nodded. She then shot her sister a playful look. "Or does cutting you hair have anything to do with Elek?"

"What? No!" Topaz's cheeks flushed.

"She's blushing!" Chopper said.

"I think it does have something to do with him," Nami said.

"I agree," Robin said.

"Spill it, girl," Ikkaku said, putting her arm around Topaz's shoulders. "You want to cut your hair for him."

"That's not true!" Topaz said. "I've always like short hair!"

"Topaz," Neo said, bringing the fire Elemental's eyes to her. "It's okay if you're going this for him too. I won't get upset. He is, in his own ways, attractive."

Topaz swallowed. With a relaxing breath, she said, "Fine. Yes, it is for him a bit too. I want him to see how I look with my hair cut normally."

"I think he'll like you either way," Neo said.

"Thanks, Neo." Topaz smiled.

"Then let's get you taken care of!" Nami said just as they arrived back on the deck.

"Good evening, my lovelies!" Sanji said, dipped into a bow. "I have prepared a yummy array of desserts and snacks for your spa day. I hope you enjoy them."

"This is amazing," Neo said, looking over the deck. The large chair from their party had been brought out when they were in the bathhouse. Several sweet smelling candles were lit up along the back of it as well as plates of the food Sanji had prepared for them and drinks. "It's so sweet of you to do this, Sanji."

"Anything for you all, my darlings," Sanji said with a sparkling smile.

"It's very nice," Robin said. "Thank you, Sanji."

"It was my pleasure, my sweet, sweet darlings!" Sanji said, wiggling around with hearts in his eyes. "Just let me know if you need anything else! I am your slave!"

"You're so funny!" Neo said, laughing.

"I will never get tired of hearing your bells!" Sanji said.

"Shall we get started on your hair? We can get that over with while the others start on pampering Neo," Nami said.

"Yes." Topaz nodded.

"Pampering me?" Neo asked. She wasn't answered as Robin and Ikkaku guided her to the large chair. As she sat down on it, Nami pulled out two boxes of something and placed them on the chair. The women dug through them before turning back to her.

"You're getting the royal spa treatment," Ikkaku said while she and Robin started massaging her feet. "We have a foot massage, a back massage, a shoulder massage, manicure, pedicure, and others such treatments in store for you."

"It's far more than just a relaxing bath in the tub," Chopper said sitting down beside Neo. "And I'm here to make sure nothing goes wrong with you or your baby."

"Oh, you guys," Neo said, her eyes filling with tears. "You all are just so sweet."

The women then settled in to really begin their spa day. Topaz sat down and allowed Nami to snip her hair away while Robin and Ikkaku proceeded with Neo's foot massage before starting on their other plans they had prepared for her. Soon they were all lost to their girl talk, pampering, and the day slowly faded into night.

"Okay, Neo," Nami said, brushing a light blue nail polish over Neo's left finger nails. "If you weren't head over heels for Tra, which of the Heart Pirates would you be interest in romantically?"

"I don't know if I can answer that," Neo said, looking up at the starry sky. "I see them too much as brothers."

"Surely one of them stands over the others," Robin said, taking a sip of her fruity drink. "What about Penguin?"

"I suppose he would be nice to date or even marry," Neo said thoughtfully. "I do spend more time with him than any of the others."

"What about the Straw Hats?" Ikkaku asked.

"That's just as hard," Neo said. "I have a different relationship with all of them. Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro will probably be at the top of the list."

"Why them?" Topaz asked.

"Well, Luffy's a good friend of my godfather. So I really trust him. Sanji would be a good choice too because we both love cooking so much. I think he would make a loyal husband despite his tendencies to flirt with women," Neo said. "And Zoro…well I'm not sure about what drawls me to him. I guess it's because he's also so serious when he's really a softy underneath that rough exterior."

"Yeah, Zoro really is nothing but a big softy," Nami said.

"What about you all? Same questions," Neo said.

"I'm not sure I can chose since I'm so in love with money," Nami said. "But if I must chose…I'd go with Zoro and Tero."

"Why them?" Ikkaku asked.

"Because they don't care one bit about money unless they really need it," Nami said with a wink. "So all the money would be mine."

"That makes sense," Ikkaku said. "I think I'd have to pick Jean Bart and Franky."

"Really?" Nami lifted an eyebrow at the Heart Pirate.

"Yeah." Ikkaku nodded. "I prefer older men. They're more experienced in life and are typically a lot calmer. I don't want an immature brat for a possible life mate."

"Too to think the are a lot calmer than the others," Robin said. "I'd enjoy a nice evening with them."

"What about you?" Nami looked at Topaz.

"Hm, I guess for the Hearts I'd have to pick Shachi," Topaz said. "And for the Straw Hats…man, I don't know, maybe Luffy?"

"Okay, why them?" Neo asked.

"Luffy because he's so much fun," Topaz said. "And Shachi because…I really have no idea."

"Well, I'd choose Neo!" Chopper announced. "Because she just so sweet! And Robin because she always has my favorite candy on hand!"

"You're so cute!" Neo squealed. She put free arm around him and pulled him closer to her side. "I'd like to pick you too! I think you'd be just as cute as a human as you are a reindeer."

"And I think you'd be just as cute as a reindeer," Chopper said, snuggling up to her.

"Yes, we just have a load of cuteness on board," Nami said.

"So, how are you ladies doing?" Sanji asked, walking over to them.

"We're great," Ikkaku said.

"Yes. Thanks for everything, Sanji," Neo said. "Your food was a yummy as ever."

"Glad to hear it," Sanji said.

"And thank you, Franky, for taking care of the ship for us," Neo said, looking up at the cyborg.

"Not a problem," Franky said, waving to them.

"I guess we're about to call it a night," Ikkaku said, looking up at the position of the moon. "It's almost nine o'clock. The crews will be wanting to go to sleep soon."

"We should get dressed then," Neo said. An agreement passed through the women as they finished putting things up and headed for the bathhouse to reclaim their clothes. Once back out on the deck, Neo hugged and thanked them all again before summoning a wind crystal and lifting her crewmates back over to the Polar Tang. When they arrived, Shachi and Penguin were waiting with annoyed expressed on their faces and their arms crossed over their chests. "Uh, hey guys. What's up?"

"Do you have any idea what time it is, young lady?" Penguin asked.

"We have been worried about you," Shachi said. "I would ground you for staying out too late if it was in my authority."

"What are you morons talking about?" Ikkaku asked while she, Neo, and Topaz stared at their male comrades.

Neo then broke out into laughter. "Oh, you guys. You're just annoyed we were taking so long and you still have no idea what we were doing over there."

"Yes!" Penguin and Shachi cried out, dramatic tears streaming down their cheeks.

"Well, all we did was have a spa day," Neo said, flashing her newly painted finger and toenails before waving to Topaz's shorter hair. "See?"

"That's it?" they asked.

"That's it." Neo nodded.

"Oh, well that's boring," they said.

"Then why did you want to know so badly?!" Ikkaku demanded.

"We just wanted to," they said.

"You were just being nosey!" Ikkaku snapped.

"Meh." They shrugged and headed inside of the sub.

"I swear, those boys would chain themselves to you if they could," Ikkaku said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I think you're correct about that," Neo said, watching her brothers disappear inside of the sub. "They can be so silly at times."

"Hey! Neo!" Luffy cried as he and the rest of the Straw Hats came out of the sub. "How was your day with the girls? What did you do? Will you tell me?"

"It was fun," Neo said. "We just had a spa day. It was very relaxing."

"Sounds so boring," Luffy said, crossing his arms.

"Maybe for a pirate like you, but for me it was very nice," Neo said.

"Well, at least you had fun," Luffy said. "I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Luffy," Neo said, smiling.

"He's so carefree. I've never see anyone's emotions turn so fast, not even with a pregnant Elemental," Topaz said. "He's so hard to annoyed at times."

"Try having him as your captain," Zoro said.

"You'll never be bored, that's for sure," Brook said.

"Never ever." Usopp nodded.

"You heading back to the Sunny now?" Neo asked.

"We are." Luffy nodded.

"Could you be so kind as to fly us over there?" Brook said. "I really don't want to have another fearful experience as I did coming over here."

"Me too!" Usopp agreed.

"Chickens." Zoro smirked.

"Yeah! Neo, you can fly us!" Luffy pumped his hands in the air.

"All right, all right," Neo said, wrapping her winds around them.

"See you tomorrow!" Luffy waved as they disappeared over to the deck of the Sunny.

"Let's get inside now," Ikkaku said. "I want to see how much damage they did to the sub."

"So are you ready to get the orbs on our foreheads?" Topaz asked as the three women wondered into sub. They looked around, carefully looking for any new damaged that Luffy might have caused to their home. So far, they didn't see anything.

"As ready as I could possibly be," Neo said. "You were right though. I think it was best to wait until after the spa treatment to do this. My body feels really relaxed at the moment. You all were so wonderful in doing that for me."

"Anything to help our favorite girl out," Ikkaku said. She put her arms around her and Topaz's shoulders pulling them into a hug as they continued walking down the halls. "And it doesn't look like Straw Hat did any damage while he was here, at least none that we can see. The crew might disagree with that. Well, I guess I should head off to our room now and see if the crew is in an unstable mental state. Besides, I'm sure you all don't want an audience to watch you getting orbed."

"Orbed?" Neo asked. "Is that even a word?"

"If it's not, it is now," Ikkaku said. She waved to them as she descended down the stairs to the crew's quarters.

Taking Topaz's hand, the remaining two pirates made their way to the rec. room. Once they got there, they found that Law was already waiting for them. Neo released her hold on Topaz at that point. She walked over to Law and wrapped her arms around him while Topaz quietly went on inside of the rec. room. She exhaled as Law placed a kiss on top of her head.

"Did you have fun?" Law asked.

"I did." Neo nodded before looking up at him. "They gave me a spa treatment. I feel so relaxed now. How about you? Did Luffy bother you too much?"

"Not really," Law said. "He was a little annoying, but then stopped when he got playing some poker with the crew."

"That's good to hear," Neo said.

"Neo, there's something I need to tell you about getting my animal guardian," Law said.

"I don't like you tone," Neo said immediately.

"I know. It's going to hurt," Law said. "I'm not exactly how much since we all handle pain differently, but Elek said that it's feels like-"

"Stop." Neo placed her finger over his lips, silencing him. She closed her eyes and drew in a breath before releasing it slowly. She then locked eyes with him. "I don't care."

Law's eyebrow rose in surprise.

"I mean, I don't want us to be hurt in any kind of way," she said. "But I know this has to be done. And I know it's going to be nothing like what I went through before. And as long as I'm with you, I know we can get through this together."

"You're amazing," Law said.

"I have an amazing teacher," Neo said, smiling.

"Are you ready to receive your orb?" Law asked quietly.

"Yeah. I'm ready." Neo nodded.

They entered into the rec. room.

Elek walked over to them. He held out an orb for her and said, "Here. Why don't you fiddle with this while I put Topaz's on? You can become more familiar with it before I put it on you."

"Okay." Neo took the orb from his hand. It was warm from being in the Summoner's palm. Its lightly tinted green surface shimmered in the lights. She and Law then walked over to the couch. He sat down first, pulling her onto his lap. She laid her head back on his shoulder while here eyes watched Elek and Topaz.

"You cut your hair," Elek noted.

"Yeah." Topaz nodded. "This is how I usually wear it. I've always preferred shorter hair. It's easier to take care of. I only grew it long because I was missing Neo at one point when we had to separate for a few months."

"I see. It looks good. So are you ready?" Elek said.

"Thanks. And, yes, I'm ready." Topaz nodded.

"Here we go." Elek nodded back then brought the orb to Topaz's forehead.

Neo tensed up when the orb came closer to her sister's forehead. In her mind, she replayed what had happened on the beach with Law. She reminded herself that the orb didn't hurt him, and it wasn't going to hurt them. They wouldn't even really feel it. Her breath hitched in her lungs when the orb touched Topaz's forehead. Her anxiety rose. She gripped tighter onto Law's hand with her own trembling one.

He spoke softly to her. "It's all right. Nothing bad is going to happen here. Just breath."

Neo exhaled.

Elek pulled back.

The orb remained in place for a split second before absorbing half into Topaz's forehead. It then lit up with a red glow. The glow swirled around in the orb just like Law's aura did.

"It's glowing. Why is it glowing?" Neo said, her heart pounding faster in her chest. "She's not a Summoner."

"The glow is normal. It's her own magic inside of the orb. I forgot that part. I'm sorry," Elek said. "It's been a while since I've put an orb on an Elemental."

"It's fine," Neo said. "It's not hurting you?"  
"Not at all," Topaz said, looking up at her forehead. "I don't feel it at all."

"That's good." Neo sighed.

"Are you ready for yours?" Elek asked, turning to the young princess.

"No," Neo said. She held up the orb in her palm. "But get it over with."

Elek walked over to her. He plucked the orb out of her palm then moved it towards her forehead.

"Wait!" Neo shoved his hand away.

"What is it, Neo?" Elek asked.

"I just…what about…" Neo dropped her eyes to the floor. Without realizing it, her free hand when to her stomach.

"You don't have to worry," Elek said gently. "Your baby will be just fine."

Neo's eyes shot to the Summoner at the same time Law's did. Both their hearts took a sharp jolt.

Elek chuckled. "You two really shouldn't look so surprised. I have, after all, been around pregnant Elementals before."

"So…so you knew? The whole time?" Neo asked.

"No, it wasn't the whole time," Elek explained. "At first I thought it was just your insecurities with new people. But then I noticed how often you fell asleep, how much you were eating, but what really confirmed it was when you snapped at us the other day. That was far too much even with your insecurities."

Neo felt her cheeks heat up. She shifted awkwardly, still feeling so childish in reacting the way she did.

"You don't have to worry. I won't tell anyone else," Elek said. "Unless you want me to. And I must say that it might be best if you did at least tell Bao that you're pregnant. That should get him to stop trying to flirt with you."

"Our marriage should be enough to stop him from flirting with her," Law said.

Elek nodded in agreement. "Shall we continue?"

"Okay," Neo said, slightly reluctant.

Elek took that as his cue that it was fine to get closer again. He touched the orb to her forehead.

Neo closed her eyes. She expected to feel something. What she wasn't exactly sure. She just figured there would be pressure or something. Maybe something like when the mercenary stabbed her back when she was still adjusting to the crew. But she felt nothing. She didn't even feel any pressure from the orb entering in her forehead. Several seconds passed by. She wanted to open her eyes, but she just couldn't.

"You can open your eyes now, love," Law voice said.

Neo parted one eye slightly then opened her other eye. She blinked. Topaz and Elek were standing together just watching her quietly. Her fingers went to her forehead. She fingered the orb for a few seconds. "It…it doesn't hurt. It doesn't even feel like it's there."

"Naturally," Elek said, crossing his arms. "You two are now set to land on Zion."

"That's good. I guess," Neo said. "So what is my orb glowing like?"  
"It's multicolored just like your spirit is," Law said.

"So everyone's going to know I'm a royal," Neo said with a slight frown.

"Don't worry about that," Elek said. "With the exception of the Elementals no one's going to treat you as a royal. I'm sure they've all seen the newspapers about you. They'll treat you more like a pirate than anything."

"Speaking of which," Neo said. "Do they have a problem with pirates docking on their island?"  
"Some do. But there will always be people who don't like or trust pirates," Elek said. "However, everyone will understand that you all have to be there. They all know the damage an untrained Summoner can cause. Then with the Elementals there they won't even think about bothering you no matter what happens."

"I see." Neo nodded. "So what now?"

"Now we just wait to arrive at Zion," Elek said.

"Huh?" Neo turned her eyes to the door when she saw movement. Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo were all peaking inside with curious and concerned looks. "It's all right. You can come in now."

The three, looking sheepish, wondered into the room. Bepo curiously looked at the orb on Neo's forehead before asking, "Are you all right, Neo? Are you nervous? How's your anxiety level? How's your ba-"

"Bepo!" Shachi and Penguin clamped their hands on the bear's muzzle. "Don't say that!"

"You don't have to keep it a secret around Elek anymore," Neo said. "He figured it out."

"Oh," the men said.

"You can release him now," Law said when Bepo's white fur started turning blue.

"Sorry!" they shrieked and released him.

Bepo drew in a breath of air. His lungs refilled and his fur turned white again. "What were you trying to kill me for?!"

"We weren't!" they snapped back.

…

Neo leaned in closer to the mirror. She turned her head this way and that way, inspecting the orb that was stuck on her forehead or in her forehead. She wasn't exactly sure how this whole thing worked. She couldn't help but fiddle with the thing. And she had been fiddling with it for the majority of the time since she first got it on. She growled in frustration while she proceeded to fiddle with it. It was starting to feel like an itch she couldn't scratch. She wished she knew how long she was going to have to wear this thing. She knew that Summoner training varied from person to person. And since Law had been training as a pirate and a swordsman surely he would be able to master this Summoner training he was going to be put through easily enough.

"Neo," Law called from the door.

She glanced over at him. He was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed and wearing only his night pants.

"Stop fiddling with that thing and come to bed," Law said.

"I can't help it," Neo said. She turned her eyes back to the mirror and glared at the intrusive orb. "It just annoys me that it's there."

Law sighed. He pushed off the door and walked over to her. Picking her up in his arms, he carried her out of the bathroom, knowing her eyes were still lingering on the mirror as he pulled her away.

"Law," Neo whined, resting her chin on his shoulder when she couldn't see her refection anymore.

"No whining, little girl," Law said, flicking off the main lights. "It's bed time. We're going to have a long day tomorrow."

"Oh yeah," Neo said. "Speaking of which, are we going to be staying in the sub or in a hotel or what?"  
"Elek said there are apartments we're going to be staying in," Law said, laying her down on the bed.

"Apartments?" Neo asked, rolling onto her right side.

"I was speaking to him while you and the other women were having your spa day," Law said. He pulled up the cover over them and laid down, mimicking her position only on his left side. "There's cove where we're going to dock the sub. He said it would be very close to where we are going to be staying so we can easily come and go from the sub."

"So we're going to have to pack some clothes," Neo said. Her hand slid up to her forehead where she started fiddling with the orb again.

"Yes." Law snatched her hand. He pressed a kiss to her palm before resting their hands on the bed, making sure to keep a firm hold on her. "We can do that tomorrow morning. We'll only pack a few things then come back for the rest when we needed it."

"I hope the bed can be pushed up against the wall," Neo said.

"I'm sure we can rearrange the room as we like," Law said. "After all, we're going to be there for a while. Surely we'll be able to make ourselves as comfortable as possible."

"What about money?" Neo asked, her other hand going for the orb.

"We have enough to last for about three months," Law said. "If we need more the crew can always pick up odd jobs here and there. They might do that anyway out of boredom."

"If they get too bored they'll get into trouble," Neo said, fingering the orb. "We should probably have them pick up part time jobs anyway."

"Let's just get there and see what all this island has to hold. And stop fiddling with that orb," Law said, taking her other hand. "You're driving me nuts."

"I can't help it," Neo said. "I have no idea why it bothers me so much."

"Well, go to sleep and it won't bother you," Law said.

"But I'm not tired," Neo said.

"Yes, you are," Law said. "You're just distracted by the orb." He kissed her hands. "Now cuddle up here with me and close your eyes."

"Fine. But it's going to take me forever to fall asleep," Neo said. She shifted closer to him as he laid on his back. She snuggled to his side, laying her leg over his. She allowed her eyes to close with a soft exhale. With in a few seconds, she was completely relaxed and fast asleep.

"Of course it's going to take you forever to fall asleep." Law chuckled. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before laying down himself and closing his eyes.

…

 **Author's Notes: I can't decide how to deal with Bao. Should I keep him like he is or should he grow up and realize Neo is totally committed to Law? Decisions, Decisions.**

 **Apple Bloom: The little girl they were talking about will have a role in the story. But I don't think it'll be training Law. We'll just have to wait and see.**


	9. Zion

Zion

Neo opened her eyes with a sigh. She had no idea why she woke up just now. She knew it was early. The sub was calm and cool as it bobbed rhythmically in the water. And since Law was still asleep beside her, it was even earlier than when he got up. She pushed up on the bed and looked over at the moonlight shining down on their floor through the curtain over the porthole. Judging from the angle the light was at she estimated that it was about four thirty in the morning. She sighed again and laid back down on her pillow. She tucked her hand under her pillow and just watched Law sleep.

While watching him, she couldn't help but notice that he looked very innocent in his sleep. In moments like this it was hard to picture him as the sadistic, calculating pirate he could be during the day. She also thought about how much she loved him, about how much her life had changed just from him choosing to bring her onto his sub, about their child currently growing inside of her, and about how much she would miss him if he was ever taken away from her or killed. But then she would die as well if he died. And she had no clue what would happen to her if he were ever taken away from her. She didn't ever want to find out. She was sure she couldn't handle it. Law had come to mean so much to her in such a short amount of time.

She reached out to him. Placing her fingers on the orb he wore on his forehead, she traced it for a while, watching the aura inside of it swirl around before letting the back of her fingers brush over his cheek. He hummed in his sleep while turning more into her hand. She smiled, her heart racing with love for him as she imagined what life would be like once their baby was born. She could easily pictured him holding their child while trying to get some studying done on whatever medical textbook he picked up. She pictured him taking a nap with their child lying on his chest. She pictured him giving their child a bath, playing with him, teaching him how to be mischievous with whatever his element was going to be.

Her hand paused. Quite a bit of concern entered into her body and soul at that point. She had no idea how she was going to curb Law's desire to use their child's crystals against their enemies in sadistic ways. And it didn't matter what element their child received, Law would definitely use it to his advantage. She feared for her family as well as others. And she only had four months to try and figure out how to deal with that. She knew he was going to at least try and teach their child bad habits. While thinking about it, she continued brush her hand over his face just quietly drinking in everything about him. No matter what happened, she wanted to remember just as he was right now, her lover, her hero, her husband, her life. Before she knew it, time flew by and he opened his eyes.

He captured her hand before bringing it to his lips where he placed a gentle kiss on her. He said, "Is something wrong? You're never up before I am."

"Just a bit nervous, I guess," Neo said. "I woke up about four thirty. I was wide awake so I knew I wouldn't get back to sleep. So I stayed awake to watch you sleep inside. Do you know how cute you are when you sleep? You look like such an angel."

"An angel of death." Law chuckled.

"No. An _angel_ ," Neo stressed. "You just look so innocent when you sleep. I love you so much."

"And I love you," Law said. Putting his arm around her, he gently pulled her over to him and tucked her head under his chin. "I'm not happy that you woke up so early. You need your rest."

"Law, I'm fine," Neo said, breathing in his scent and the warmth of his body. "Besides, I'll sleep later. I always get about two naps in a day. And since I know I'll go through some stress later today, I'll get plenty of sleep."

"And that's why I wanted you to sleep well last night," Law said.

"So what kind of animal do you think you'll be?" Neo asked.

"We'll know soon," Law said. "That should be one of the first things we do when we reach Zion."

"So it's probably safe to say that we'll put our clothes into our apartments then get your Summoner animal thing," Neo said.

"That would be my guess," Law said, raking his fingertips through her hair. "I guess I should have asked Elek that when I was talking to him last night."

"It doesn't really matter," Neo said. Silence fell between the two for a while. "Are we going to get up now?"  
"No," Law said. "Let Basil handle breakfast this morning. You're going to lay here with me for a while before we get up."

"Lucky me," Neo said, shifting her leg so it would lie over Law's. She yawned and snuggled back into him. "You're so warm."

"So are you," Law said. "Oh, and you're _not_ going to watch me the entire time I'm training."

"What?" Neo pulled back from his, narrowing her eyebrows in annoyance.

"Don't give me that look, _little girl_ ," Law said. "You know you'll only get bored most of the time and stressed out the rest of the time. So your orders for this island are to spend time elsewhere while I train. You can do what you wish-"

Neo opened her mouth to say she wanted to watch him. But he silenced her by pressing his finger to her lips.

"As long as it's not watching me," Law said. "You can start off with watching me for a while, but you _will_ spend time elsewhere for the majority of the time."

Neo huffed. He removed his finger.

"Do you understand me?" Law asked.

"Yes, _sir_ ," Neo said with sass.

"And you better watch the sassy tone," Law said, pulling her back into him. "I won't tolerate it."

"Sure you won't." Neo giggled then snuggled back into him.

A little while later, after several snuggles and kisses, the two pirate captains finally pulled themselves out of their warm bed to get dressed and ready for what the day was going to bring them. Once they were ready to leave their room, Law picked her up and carried her out of their room. She snuggled into him again, tucking her nose behind his ear, nuzzling him affectionately. When they got to the galley the majority of their crew, plus Luffy was already there. And the air was filled with cinnamon for their pancakes and french toast plus eggs, bacon, sausage, and fresh fruit. Law looked at Luffy and frown. "What are you doing here, Straw Hat?"

"I'm here for breakfast," Luffy said. The young captain was sitting in Neo's usual seat on Law's right side. He was slightly bouncing as he spoke. "And I'm excited! We're finally getting a new adventure! Nami said we'd be arriving at Zion in a few hours! I can't wait! Aren't you excited?"

"Why would I be?" Law asked sitting down with Neo in his lap.

"Because you're finally going to get some new powers! It's going to be so cool!" Luffy said. "I wish I could become a Summoner!" His lips pouched out in a pout. "But Nami won't let me."

"And she's correct," Shachi said. "You with Summoner powers would not be a good thing. You already go wild with your Devil Fruit. God have mercy on the world if you ever got your hands on the Summoner's power."

"It would still be so much fun though," Luffy said.

"Nothing ever gets him down, does it?" Bao asked.

"Nope," the Heart Pirates said.

"Except when he has no meat," Basil added.

"Of course I get down when there's no meat around," Luffy said. "Everyone does."

"No, everyone doesn't!" the Heart Pirates said.

"You all are just so funny," Elek said. "I can tell that you all are very close knit."

"Not all of us," Law grumbled, earning a tap of the elbow in the chest from Neo.

"Comes from living in such small quarters," Topaz said. "But, believe me, they have their fights. And plenty of them."

"I'll bet." Elek nodded.

"So, do you have any siblings, Elek?" Neo asked.

"No." Elek shook his head. "I'm an only child. But I do have friends that are like my brothers and sisters. You'll meet them at some point when we arrive on Zion. I'm sure two of them in particular will come see us the second we arrive."

"Who are they?" Neo asked, to distracted by the Summoner to eat. Law had to feed her. She parted her lips automatically when he brought a bite of french toast up to her mouth. She took it into her mouth and hummed at the cinnamon and syrup dancing over her tongue.

"They're twin wind Elementals," Elek said. "And I warn you all now, they are very good at pulling pranks. Once they get to know you, you will become their targets. So watch out for them."

"Thanks for the warning," Tero said. "I'll be sure to avoid them as much as possible."

"That will only make it worse," Elek said. "Trust me. I have experience with that."

"Just great," Tero grumbled.

"Well, at least could use them against a certain cheater," Penguin said, glaring over at Bao.

"Yeah, right," Bao said. "I've had experience with them too. I know how to avoid their traps."

"We'll see about that," Shachi said in a slightly creepy tone. "We'll see about that."

"Are there any female bears on the island?" Bepo asked hopefully.

"Not of your kind," Elek said, apologetically. "We do have wild animals on the island, a few giant sized. So be careful when you're wondering around the forests on your own. They even wonder into the towns and cities to spend time with the Elementals. As long as they are around, the animals are very tame. But they're still animals. They could snap at any point in time."

"Yeah, we know that," Shachi said.

"Wind Elementals," Neo said. "How old are they?"  
"Seventeen," Elek said. "And they are identical. So you're not going to be able to tell them apart. That's something else they'll use against you. Their names are Era and Aura."

"You make it sound like they've made a job out of playing pranks on people," Jean Bart said.

"They pretty much have," Elek said. "That's all they do no matter how hard their family tries to get them to be more serious."

"They sound like a lot of fun," Neo said.

"Eat your breakfast, Neo," Law said, bringing another bite up to her lips. "We need to get packed. You can think about playing later."

"Okay!" Neo chirped before taking the bite off the fork.

"Oh, one more thing," Elek said turning his eyes to Law. "The twins are half Elemental and half human."

"Really?" Law asked, his interest peaking.

 _'You're going to talk to them about being half human and half Elemental, aren't you?'_ Neo asked.

 _'Yes. This would be the perfect time to get some important medical information on how our child is going to be.'_

"Hm? Why would that matter to them?" Bao asked.

The crew tensed up, but for Luffy who kept on eating like nothing else mattered. Those who knew Elek figured out Neo was pregnant spread the word through the crews so they all would know about it. But they were still undecided on whether or not to tell Bao.

"Because he's a doctor," Elek said. "Why wouldn't he be interest in that?"

"Oh, good point, I guess." Bao dropped his eyes back down to his meal and continued eating.

Everyone relax again.

One by one the crew finished up eating and headed out of the galley to pack their own clothes and do whatever to the sub that needed to be done before they landed on Zion. Law also went back to their room to start packing while Neo stayed in the galley to help Basil clean up from breakfast. She summoned her wind and water crystals, using them to wash dishes and wipe down the tables, counter tops, and sink.

"If you keep this up I'm going to start feeling so useless," Basil said with his hands on his hips.

"Sorry," Neo said, pecking his cheek. "But you need to pack as well."

"More like finish packing since I started two days ago." Basil nodded. "I just hope they have decent kitchens on Zion. I'm so use to using this one here in the sub."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Neo said, linking her arm with his, she lead him out of the galley. "Besides we can always cook outside. Franky can easily build us an outdoor stove or even just use an open fire. And some of the best food ever created comes straight off the fire."

"I can't argue with that," Basil said. "We're going to have to check out the local specialties, spices, and dishes."

"Totally!" Neo nodded. "Once I'm secure in Law's training, I'm going to look around the island. We can go off together for. And with Sanji if you don't mine. He'll want to look at them as well, if he's not too distracted by all of the pretty ladies."

"You're not going to stay with the captain?" Basil asked, surprised.

"Law's not going to let me," Neo said, sighing. "He says I'll be far too bored watching him all the time. And he doesn't want me to get stressed since his training is going to difficult. Though I don't see how keeping me from him is going to keep me from worrying. I'll still be able to feel him and all that he's going through."

"That's true, but you'll not be focused so much on him if you're doing other things with us," Basil said. "And with all the Elementals there, I'm sure every single one of them will want to meet with their princess."

"Oh dear," Neo said. "I forgot about that. They _will_ want to see me. I wonder how the newer generations are going to react to me."

"With what I know about the Elemental culture," Basil said, "they might treat you like a princess like any other Elemental. It seems to be a deeply ingrained instinct or something."

"I never thought about it like that," Neo said. "Come to think of it, I've met some Elementals who never been on Luminous and they still called me their princess."

"Well, you better get back to your room. I'm sure the captain is waiting for you," Basil said.

"Yeah. See you later," Neo said. She waved to Basil as he headed on down to the third floor. She then headed on down the hall to her and Law's room, humming as she went. The door was open so she walked right on inside. He already had two of their suitcases out near their closet both filled half with their clothes. She planted her hands on her hips. Doing her best to take on a parentally stern voice, she said, "You're not finished yet?! You've been in here for hours, young man! You should already have our clothes packed and ready to go! What have you been doing in here?! Playing?! You are so grounded, mister!"

"Very funny," Law said.

"Thought I'd try and get in some practice for our child," Neo said with a bright smile and a shrug as she walked over to him.

"Well, it was a very cute try," Law said. He leaned down and pecked her lips before both started to finished their packing together.

"I don't think our child will listen to me if I'm nothing but cute. All well. I have plenty of time to figure that out later. Right now, I'm not sure I should even pack any of my shirts since I always wear yours," Neo said, running her fingers over one of her shirts.

"Just pack a couple incase," Law said. "We can always come back for more if or when we need them."

"Okay," Neo said. She pulled out a couple of shirts, folded them, and placed them in one of the suitcases. "Ugh. I feel like we're moving."

"It's just a temporary move," Law said.

"The only thing I'm excited about is seeing what your animal for is going to be," Neo admitted.

"And I get the feeling you're going to have me change into that form quiet a bit," Law said.

"Of course," Neo said. "I mean, as long as it doesn't cause you pain."

"It shouldn't since Elek and Bao can use their forms without pain," Law said.

"I hope you have a really cute animal. Really, really cute," Neo said.

"Does it really matter? You think all animals are cute," Law said. "No matter if they're technically ugly."

"I guess I do think in that way. All animals are cute though," Neo said thoughtfully. "But I still want you to be just as cute if not cuter. Maybe something with fur so I can brush you?"

"I'm your _husband_ not your _pet_ ," Law said. "And I'll still be your _husband_ in my animal form."

"I'm still grooming you thought," Neo said, narrowing her eyebrows playfully at Law. "So get use to the idea."

"Yes, love," Law conceded to her, knowing full well that she would want to groom him. After all she did love animals and has wanted a pet for a long time. This way she sort of did get a pet. And he could tolerate being groomed by her since she had done it to his human body already. Maybe getting pampered by her as whatever animal he was going to be wasn't going to be a bad thing after all. He might even like it.  
"I'm packing my royal blue tankini. Nami and Robin might want to tan at some point and ask me to join them," Neo said.

"All right," Law said.

"And I'm packing your swim trunks too," Neo said. "Because you _will_ be taking breaks from training. I _do not_ want you training _all the time_."

"I know, love," Law said, shoving another pair of his jeans into the suitcase. "That's one of my most strictest rules."

"Just making sure you remember it," Neo said. She looked over to the porthole for the time. "We should be arriving at Zion in a little over an hour."

"I think we have everything we need at least for a while," Law said. "What are you going to do until we arrive there?"  
"I'm not sure," Neo said. "I don't think I can focus enough to read right now. And as much as I want to be with you ever second of everyday, I think I'll go out on the deck for a while. I might even go over to the Sunny. The Straw Hats can keep me distracted until we reach Zion."

Law nodded. "You know where I'll be if you need me."

Neo pushed up on her toes, her lips meeting his halfway in a gentle kiss. She then turned and headed out of their room. The halls of the sub were fairly empty while she walked through them. She only came across Jean Bart. The two greeted each other and moved on. She figured the rest were finishing up packing and whatever else they needed to do before their arrival on Zion. When she walked out onto the deck she found only Franky was outside on the Sunny. She summoned her wings and flew over to him. "Hey, Franky, where is everyone?"  
"Inside packing," Franky said.

She smiled when he stepped aside for her to take the helm. She gladly took it and glided the ship through the waters. "So what are you going to do when we get there?"

"I'm not really sure," Franky said. "I might check out the ship yards since Elek mentioned he was into building ships for awhile. I'd love to see how they compare with Galley La."

"And, let me guess, you're going to show them how to improve because no one is as good as Galley La?" Neo asked.

"You are correct, girly!" Franky laughed.

"Building ships is just in your blood after all," Neo said. "I would like to one day meet your friend Iceberg. Do you think I'd like him? Would he like me?"

"I know for sure that he'd like you," Franky said. "And I know you'd like him. He's pretty much a very calm guy. He's only loud when he's arguing with me. And let me tell you we argue _a lot_. We're always getting into fights, even as kids."

"But that's normal," Neo said. "You're brothers after all."

"Huh?" Franky blinked at her in confusion. "I never told you I considered him a brother."

"You didn't have to," Neo said. "I can tell by how you've talked about him in the past. You two might argue a lot, but that just means you care. If you didn't, you wouldn't have been so worried about him when he was shot."

"Sometimes you can be very insightful," Franky said. "I never knew you got all of that just from how I spoke about him before. If you don't mind me saying, I often wonder how you would be if you didn't go through the hardships that you have."

"I often wonder that too," Neo said. "I wonder if I would be a spoiled brat, even though Kailen said our mother was the no nonsense type. But still, being given gifts all the time, I think it would go to anyone's head at some one or other."

"Possibly," Franky said. "But I don't think that would happen to you."

"Oh?" Neo turned her eyes to him.

The cyborg shrugged. "It's just a feeling. And who know? Maybe someday we'll learn how you would be."

"Oh, yeah! We'll get sucked into another dimension or into an alternate universe where our lives, or at least mine, is completely different!" Neo said with a laugh. "I wonder how I'd feel about Law then? Would I still fall in love with him? Or would I despise him because of his ways? Him being a pirate probably wouldn't bother me since my godfather would still be Shanks."

"I think you two were meant to be no matter what happens," Franky said.

"That's sweet of you to say," Neo said. "But I have no idea how I'd get off Luminous in another life. They're so strict about their laws. And growing up there would be harder to get away from it."

"Well, maybe Red Haired would help you with that," Franky suggested.

"My godfather?" Neo asked.

"He's a pirate that visits Luminous often," Franky said. "Maybe he takes you with him one day? Or maybe you stow away on his ship? I know you have a mischievous side inside of you. You let it out occasionally."

"Stow away on his ship, huh?" Neo mumbled. "That might actually be possible. I mean I'm sure I wouldn't be as shy as I am now if I grew up on Luminous. After all being there royal means I'd be out in the public a lot."

"I bet you'd be super mischievous!" Franky laughed.

"You might be right." Neo smiled.

"Hey, Neo! What are you doing over here?" Nami asked as she and Robin walked up the stairs to the helm.

"Nothing much," Neo replied. "Just getting a little fresh air while trying not to think much about what's going to happen on Zion."

"Well, I can tell you one thing that's going to happen," Nami said with a wink. "Shopping!"

"Yes. We're going to have to check out the locate bookstores," Robin said. "I'm curious to know the history of Zion."

"I wonder what kind of history Zion has," Neo said. "And I wonder how long Elementals have been on the island exactly."

"We can go to the bookstores together and find out," Robin said.

"Yeah!" Neo nodded happily.

"Did someone say bookstores?" Chopper asked as he ran up the stairs.

"We sure did," Neo said.

"Great! You can count me in too!" Chopper jumped up on Neo's shoulder. "If that's all right with you."

"You know it's all right," Neo said. "I'm hoping to spend time with you all since Law doesn't want me to stick around him and fret all the time. So I'm in need of your expert distraction methods."

"You can count on us, Neo!" Chopper announced.

"Great!" Neo said.

"Would you like to play for a while?" Chopper asked. "We still have about an hour before reaching Zion."

"Yeah. Let's play. Franky?" Neo turned to the cyborg.

"I got it," Franky said, reclaiming the helm. "You go on and have some fun."

"Thanks, Franky! You're the best!" Neo flicked her wings. She lifted both herself and Chopper into the air and flew around with him.

"Hey! I want to fly too!" Luffy waved up to them a few minutes later when he came out on the deck.

"Sure." Neo looked down to see the rest of the Straw Hats had finally come back outside. "Anyone else want to join us?"  
"You can count me in," Usopp said.

"No thanks," Zoro said, lying down on the deck. "I'm taking a nap."

"Sanji? Brook?" Neo asked.

"I think I shall pass," Brook said. "But I will be more than glad to play something for you."

"That would be great. Thanks, Brook," Neo said.

"I might join you later," Sanji said. "I have to look through our food supplies and see what we need to take with us to eat before it spoils."

"All right," Neo said. "But save some time for me on Zion. Basil and I are going to check out the local dishes and spices at some point and we want you to join us."

"Sure thing, Neo." Sanji was as he headed up the stairs for the kitchen. "You know I'd be more than glad to accompany you."

"Let's fly now!" Luffy cheered, pumping his hands into the air.

"Here we go then!" Neo summoned her wind crystals. She wrapped her winds around the two Straw Hats and pulled them into the air with her and Chopper.

"This is so much fun!" Usopp said. He had his arms spread out to his sides like a plane. "I always feel so free when flying. You're so lucky to have this kind of ability."

"I guess so," Neo said.

"I wonder if Summoners can fly like this," Luffy said while he pretended to be swimming through the air.

"Well, Elek can transform into an eagle so I'm sure others can transform into birds as well," Usopp said.

"I still want to be a Summoner!" Luffy said.

"Let that go already!" Usopp snapped.

"I assume you'll be interested in seeing the Summoners use their auras as weapons," Neo said.

"I sure am," Usopp said. "I can't wait to test my skills as a sniper against them. You should come as well. You might learn something from them."

"That's possible," Neo said. "All right. I'll go with you."

Distracted with their playing, the announcement of Zion appeared soon brought them back into reality. They all turned their eyes to the island they were approaching. A collected gasps escaped their mouths when they saw the island. Massive trees, vines, flowers, and other flora was decorating the island.

"It's…it's so massive!" Usopp shouted. "I thought we were going to a land of Summoners! Not to a land of giants!"

"It's not a land of giants," Nami said. "If it was, they would have mentioned it. They've only said humans and Elementals live on the island."

"So why is everything so huge?" Zoro asked.

"Because of the Elementals," Robin said. "They love nature after all. It's not surprising that we've come to an island like this with them living on it."

"Come to think of it, the Summoners did mention something about this to Law," Neo said.

"The plants here are even bigger than the ones back on Greenbit," Usopp said, adjusting his goggled over his eyes. "Wait a second. There's something odd about those trees."

"What do you mean by that?" Sanji asked.

"I'm not sure, but there looks to be windows in them," Usopp said.

"Windows?" the crew asked.

"Why would trees have windows?" Neo asked. She closed her eyes and focused on the trees in front of her. "Wait a second. I can feel that the trees are…they seem to be hollow."

"Hollow with windows," Sanji said, puffing on his cigarette. "I wonder if they're houses."

"Houses?" Neo turned her eyes to him.

"Theoretically, you can turn plants into houses because of the way you can grow them," Sanji said. "So they probably just grew the trees to be hollow to fit houses or apartments inside of them. It's actually very smart if you think about it. Large trees like this would never be torn down by storms. The people would always be protected, even more so with the Elementals around. They wouldn't ever have to worry about fires either."

"Wow," Neo said. "That must be what they've done. I can't wait to see." She turned her eyes to the Polar Tang when she felt Law walking outside. "I'm going to back to Law now."

"All right," Sanji said.

Flittering her wings, she took to the air once more. As she flew back over to the Polar Tang, Elek stepped over to the railing. He said, "Hey, Franky, just pull the Sunny in after us. We're heading right into a cove as soon as we get to the island."

"You got it, brother," Franky said.

"All right!" Luffy cheered. "Everyone get ready to land on Zion!"

"Aye aye, Captain!" the Straw Hat crew said before scrambling around the Sunny.

…

Neo landed. Her arms automatically went around Law's waist while his wrapped around her shoulders. She said, "We're finally here."

Law nodded. Together they watched as Jean Bart, who was down in the control room with Bao, guided the sub closer towards the island. Once they got close enough, it was confirmed that the trees did in fact have windows in them.

"They do have windows," Neo said. "Do people really live inside of them?"

"They sure do," Elek said, stepping up beside the two Heart pirates. "I thought you might like it."

"I do." Neo nodded.

"You, your crew, and the Straw Hats will be staying inside of one of them," Elek said.

"Really?!" Neo gasped.

"You will be." Elek nodded. "And since you're an Elemental yourself, you'll be easily able to move things around to suit your taste while living in the apartment."

"Now, do you see that wall of branches about three meters to the left?" Elek asked, pointing to the cove.

"Yes, I see it," Neo said.

"That's where your ships are going to be docked," Elek explained. "The branches are actually walls that the earth Elementals can move around when we need them to. Once close enough I'll alert them to us coming into the docks there and they'll open the wall. Then when we're docked the walls will be closed and your ships will be safely tucked inside until you're ready to leave again. This way your ships will be completely protected during storms."

"They'll be protected?" Neo asked. "Completely?"

"The Elementals grew trees where the branches and leaves stick out over the docks," Elek explained. "It protects the ships. Kind of a complimentary service."

"Hm, I might like it here more than I thought I would," Neo said. "How are you going to let them know we're going to dock?"  
"I'll send up a signal with my aura. Like this," Elek said. He lifted his left hand into the air. Gathering his aura, he shot a ball of red aura into the air. It flared out like a firework without sound.

Neo turned her eyes back to the island. A minute or so later, she could feel the wall he pointed out moving apart. Then, before she knew it, the Polar Tang was drifting into the cove, the leaves above them blocked out the hot sun while she sensed Elementals gathering closer to them to check out their princess. The leaves casted cool shadows over them as they glided into the port to their ships temporary docking spots. With the Sunny and Polar Tang snuggling side by side, the crews began to disembark from their ships.

"Wow!" Luffy exclaimed. He held his hat to his head while looking up the large trees in front of them. "They're so huge!"

"The plants here are so lush and vibrate," Robin said as she cupped a white rose near by. "The Elementals have done a wonderful job taking care of this place."

"Princess," an earth Elemental said. He and several others walked over to the pirates. They all took to their knees in respect for their princess. "Welcome to Zion. It is a surprise and an honor to have you here. But we are a bit confused at your presence."

"I can explain that," Elek said. He gestured to Law. "This young man has been forced to become a Summoner. We brought him, his crew, and the Straw Hats crew to Zion so he can properly train to gain control over his powers."

"I see," the earth Elemental said. "Well, welcome all. You are friends of the princess so you will be treated with respect and we will guarantee your stay here will be as comfortable as possible."

"Great," Luffy said.

"Thank you," Neo said, running her eyes over the Elementals. Mostly she was looking at the orbs on their foreheads. All of them had one. And they all were swirling with the color of their element. "But special treatment isn't necessary at all. We're just like anyone else here."

"Hardly," a mid-twenties water Elemental said. "Some of us have kept up with your adventures since you've been revealed in the newspapers. We shall prepare a feast for your arrival. But we will not have it until after you've rested a day or two from your journey. You're probably tired from your trip."

Neo opened her mouth to protest the feast, but she knew it wouldn't do any good. They were going to do this whether she wanted it or not. So she relented, especially when she happened to look at Luffy's drooling mouth and puppy dog eyes. "Very well. Uh, how long will it take Law to rest up from getting his animal form?"  
"Well, it depends on how much pain he can take and how fast of a healer he is," Elek said. "But with you healing him with your solar crystal, it probably won't take even a day."

"Then in two days we shall have your feast," Neo said, her tone automatically becoming royal. She caught the change in her tone and blushed from using it.

"You're so cute when you become all royal," Penguin said, slipping his arms around her shoulders and nuzzling against her cheek.

"Oh! Hush!" Neo snapped, her cheeks growing brighter. Her reactions caused the majority of the crews to snicker at her uncomfortable predicament. She shot them a mischievous smirk. "Keep up the snickering. I might love you all but that doesn't mean I won't sick the Elementals on you or my own crystals. Remember I still have permission from Law to do that."

Silence immediately fell between them.

"All right, everyone," the earth Elemental said, clapping his hands to get their attention. "The princess and her crew need their rest. We can visit with them later. Off with you all."

Murmurs of agreements, and some disagreements and disappointments, weaved in and out of the Elementals as they all turned and headed back to their businesses or homes. Some bid their princess farewells while others wished her to get some good rest.

Neo exhaled when they were finally gone. "At least that part's over."

"Elek!" two voices said.

Elek groaned at the two combined voices calling out for him. He rubbed his hand over his face.

"What or who was that?" Topaz asked.

"Trouble," Elek said. "With a capital T."

"Here comes your favorite duo," Bao sang.

Suddenly, a strong gush of wind blew through the area. All the pirates dug their heels into the ground to keep themselves from flying off. Usopp, however, wasn't as lucky as the rest. His body flew back from the wind and he slammed into the Sunny. "Ah! Ouch!"

Law put his arm around Neo and held her tightly to his side until she summoned her wind crystals to force the wind away from them.

The leaves rustled violently, threatening to blow off their branches before two bluish grey blurs popped out of the leaves. The blurs dove right down to Elek and latched onto him.

"Elek! You're finally home!" the blurs said. The winds died down, settling the leaves back into place, while the blurs came into focus to revealed twin wind Elementals with shoulder length pigtails, their hair and eyes a greyish blue. "We've missed you so much!"

"Yes, I know. I've missed you too," Elek said, his face starting to turn blue from their hug. "Let go of me. I can't breath."

"Sorry!" They released him.

"So these are the twins you've told us about," Tero said.

"That's them," Bao said. "Aura and Era."

"Which is which?" Shachi asked.

"It doesn't matter," Bao said. "They're interchangeable."

The twins then turned their eyes to the pirates until their eyes landed on Neo. They gasped and flew over to her. "So this is an Elemental royal! She's so cute! Our grandpa has told us all about you! Well, not _you_ , but about the royals!"

"Uh." Neo watched, feeling extremely awkward as the twins inspected her from every angle, asking question after question.

"So what's it like being a royal?"

"Is it hard to control all of the elements at once?"

"What do your wings feel like?"

"What do your wings look like?

…

"Which one's talking?" Penguin asked, his eyes as well as everyone else's bounced back and forth between the wind Elementals.

"I think they're talking at the same time," Sanji said.

"They're funny!" Luffy laughed. "They're going to be so much fun!"

"You leave them alone!" Nami grabbed Luffy's cheek and pulled it out as far as she could before releasing it.

Luffy's head vibrated when his cheek snapped back into place.

"Man, Elek wasn't kidding when he told us about them," Topaz said. "They're going to be a wild pair."

…

"Can we see them?"

"Do you use them often?"

"What's your favorite element to control?"

"What's it like being a pirate and a princess?"

"All right, that's enough," Elek said, grabbing the twins by their collars. He pulled them away from Neo. "You two have bothered her enough."

"Elek!" they screamed. "Let go!"

"Not going to happen," Elek said. "You two can talk more with her later when they have settled in. They're going to be here for a while after all."

"Fine," they relented and were released.

"Now, apologize for being so rude," Elek said.

"We're sorry, Princess," they said. "We won't be rude like that again. We promise."

"Uh, it's all right," Neo said. "I probably would have the same reacting if I was in your place."

"Oh! You're so sweet!" they squealed.

"Don't let them off the hook so easily, Neo," Elek said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You need to keep a tight hold on these two."

"You're just no fun at all," one of them said.

"Yeah," the other one said. "No fun at all."

"So which is which?" Usopp asked, pointing at the twins.

"I'm Era," Era said, raising her hand.

"And I'm Aura," Aura said, raising her hand.

Neo noticed their orbs were on their right wrists of the hands they raised.

"Yeah, that doesn't do me much good," Usopp said, his finger drooping low. "Isn't there any way we can tell you apart?"

"Why would you want to?" they asked with bright smiles.

"Never mind," Usopp said.

"So why are your orbs on your wrists instead of your foreheads?" Neo asked.

"Because it's hard to accessories with these ugly orbs on our foreheads," Era said, waving her orb donned hand.

"We can hide them easer this way," Aura added with a wink. "It's also easier to kiss boys when you're not banging your orbs together all of the time."

"Oh," Neo said. She looked up at Law's orb, wondering if they were ever going to bang their orbs together. She didn't think it was really possibly. After all, the orbs weren't that big. But she wasn't sure since they hadn't been wearing their orbs for very long.

"Well, we should get you all settled in," Elek said. "I'm sure there's a lot you all want to check out before we get to Trafalgar's animal guardian."

"Wait," Era said. "We don't have to go right now."

"Yeah," Aura said. "We can hang out here for a while and get to know each other."

"What did you two tornadoes do this time?" Elek asked.

"Nothing," they sang while exchanging guilty looks.

" _Era. Aura,_ " Elek said sternly. He crossed his arms over his chest, tapped his toes on the ground, and gave them a very stern look. "Out with it right this second."

"Okay," they said. "There might have been a bit of a storm here yesterday and we might have made it worse."

Elek groaned. He rubbed his hand over his face before turning and walking through the well designed path. "You two are just so…ugh!"

"What did they do? Demolish the entire town?" Tero asked. "And if they're like _this_ all the time how in the world has Elek survived."

"He's very good with kids. Come on," Bao said to the pirates. "Let's go see what they've done to our home."

The pirates picked up their luggage, Jean Bart grabbing his own and his captains, and followed after the Summoners and wind Elementals. A short minute later they broke free of the cool shade of the trees to find themselves standing upon a hill over looking a large town that had looked like a hurricane hit it. Several of the smaller trees were torn from their roots, some roofs had caved in, some walls were missing, light objects thrown everywhere, and one rather large looking statue turned upside down in a near by forest.

"Is that a statue over there?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah," Era said. "It actually belongs in the square in the middle of the town. It's part of a fountain."

"You two did all of this damage by yourselves?" Brook asked.

"No," Aura said. "We said there was a storm."

"They like playing with storms instead of keeping an eye on them and making sure everyone is in a safe place until they blow through," Elek said. He gestured at the mess before them. "And then this _always_ happens."

"Sorry," the twins sang. "Really. We are."

"Yeah, sure you are," Elek grumbled. "That's why you keep doing this because you're sorry."

"Don't be angry with us," the twins said, giving Elek the most innocent, teary eyed look they could manage.

"Not going to work," Elek said.

"Oh!" They stomped their right feet. "You're just an ol' stick in the mud!"

"Why not just blow the storm away completely then?" Luffy asked.

"Neo's said before that Elementals don't like messing with nature like that," Sanji said, blowing out smoke from his lips. "While they can control nature, they still prefer to let it doing its own thing. Isn't that correct, Neo?"  
"It is," Neo said.

"That's right! I forgot," Luffy said.

"Well, it looks like we've got ourselves a job to do," Franky said.

"What?" Usopp asked. "What's that?"  
"We're going to help clean up this mess," Franky said.

"Why?" Usopp asked. "We didn't do any of the damage. And it's not our home either." He jerked his thumb at the twins. "These two should be the ones to do all of the cleaning."

"Please, no," Bao begged. "If we let them do that then the town would be in an even bigger mess."

"We can still lend a hand," Franky said. "It's not like we have anything better to do anyway."

"You can count me in," Nami said. "I'm sure I can help with something."

"I'll help as well," Shachi said. "As long as the captain and Neo don't have any objections."

"You all can do as you please," Law said.

"As long as you stay out of trouble," Neo said. "I expect you all, including you Straw Hats, to check in on occasion so I know how you all are doing."

"We will," they said.

"Good." Neo smiled.

"Hey! Elek!" The group looked down to see a woman with a lavender aura around her body running up to them. She skidded to a stop. With her hands on her knees, she panted to regain her breath as her aura faded away. "Sorry…I'm late…I got caught up…showing a…house…to a couple. I saw…your signal."

"Don't worry about it," Elek said. "We basically just got here anyway. Some of the Elementals were greeting Neo."

"Who's the lady?" Nami asked.

"She's lovely!" Sanji cooed. He spun over to the woman and stuck a white rose in her black hair. "It's lovely to meet you. My name is Sanji."

"Uh, hi," she said, confused.

"This is our friend Teal," Elek said. "I mentioned her before on the sub. Teal, these are the Heart Pirates and the Straw Hat Pirates."

"It's nice to meet you all," Teal said with a wave. "Which one's the Summoner?"

"That would be me," Law said.

"I see," Teal said. "Well, good luck in your training." Her eyes then when to Neo. "Oh, and you're the Elemental princess."

"Yeah, that's me," Neo said with a light nod.

"You knew that already?" Chopper asked.

Teal's eyes dropped down to the reindeer. Her cheeks lit up with delight. She said, "Oh my gosh! You are just too cute! I've never seen a reindeer like you!" She then saw Bepo. "Ah! And you're just as cute! You're a mink too! This is so great! Two cute animal pirates in the same place!"

"Hey! Don't call me cute, you jerk!" Chopper said. "I won't fall for that!"

"I'm sorry," Bepo said, hanging his head.

"What are you sorry for?!" Penguin and Shachi demanded.

"What's going on?" Neo asked, clinging to Law's arm.

"Excuse her," Elek said. "She's a Third Level Summoner and very much an animal lover. Teal, please, be a bit more respectful. Neo here doesn't like strangers around her family."

"Oh?" Teal brought her eyes back to Neo. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"That's fine," Neo said. "We just got here after all."

"And I knew you were the princess because I'm a Third Level Summoner," Teal said. "That means I'm really good with the Animabilis Orb."

"I see," Neo said. She focused her senses and notice that Teal's guardian animal was a prairie dog. _Prairie dogs are cute. I wonder if Law will be one of them?_

"Do you have the keys to the apartments here?" Elek asked.

"I sure do!" Teal pulled out a large ring with a ton of keys on it. They jingled in protest from her pulling them out from her pocket.

"Wow! You have a lot of keys, lady!" Luffy exclaimed. "Why do you have so many?! Do you live in multiple houses?!"

"No, not at all," Teal said. "I'm a realtor around here. I show houses to people who are interested in buying one. And I also help house visiting Summoners here for training. Going by how large your group is I have to say that Elek did a good job in deciding to house you all here in the apartments. No one else is living in them right now so you have the whole place to yourselves."

"That'll be good for Neo," Basil said. "A lot less people around will keep her more calm."

Neo hummed in thought. Silently she agreed with her fellow cook. She really liked the idea of having the tree house apartment for her crews.

"Let's get you all into your apartment rooms now," Elek said.

"I'm on it," Teal said as she headed for the apartments. "I'll get the doors open. So feel free to choice which ever rooms you want."

"So where are the apartments?" Usopp asked, as he headed down the hill. "How far is it to get there?"

"We're already here," Bao said.

"Huh?" Usopp turned back to find the younger Summoner pointing up at the large tree. "What?! We're staying _here_?!"

"Yup." Bao nodded. "Weren't you listening to what Teal just said?"

"Of course I was!" Usopp snapped. "Apartments are usually inside of cities! Not out here in the woods!"

"We're not really a typical island," Bao said. "Some houses and apartments in town are also made like this."

"It's amazing," Robin said, looking up at the tree apartment. Several vines, with colorful flowers, were wrapped around the tree providing steps and ramps to all of the porches of the individual apartments.

"Wow! It looks like so much fun!" Luffy said before flinging his hand up to one of the higher vines. He pulled himself upward with an excited yell.

"We're actually going to be living in a tree?" Chopper asked. "We'll be close to Neo, won't we?"  
"Yes," Elek said. "This tree is usually held open for guests who come here for the same reason you all did. Some rooms only hold one bed while some hold two or three."

"Great!" Chopper said. "I want one close to Neo!"

"Will you two be coming with us?" Topaz asked, as the pirates started moving towards their new temporary home.

"Not unless you need something," Elek said. "We have to check back in with our families and the council. Teal can assist you if you need anything right now."

"The council?" Topaz asked.

"Yes," Elek said. "They mostly keep order around here and serve as judges, stuff like that. It was really them who decided to sent Bao and me out on our mission. You'll end up seeing them around at some point."

"I see," Topaz said.

"We'll be back after lunch. Feel free to either stay in your rooms or explore the island. We'll see you all later," Elek said with a wave.

"Later, Neo!" Bao waved. "Be sure to call me if you need anything! You can send an Elemental to find m-Ah!"

"Let's go," Elek said. He grabbed Bao's collar and pulled him away from the pirates.

"Bye, Neo!" Bao waved.

"Shall we go?" Law asked.

"Yeah." Neo nodded. With their fingers laced together, they turned and followed their crews to the large tree. At a steady pace, they made their way up and around the tree. "I'm not sure if I want a room on the town side or the ocean side."

"The ocean side will give you a better view," Law said. "And we can watch the sun setting."

"Sounds good to me," Neo said, hugging his arm with her free hand. "What would I do without you?"

Law chuckled as they made their way to the ocean side of the tree. They picked a room that was about fifty feet in the air. When they opened the door they were greeted by the relaxing smell of lavender and a beautiful plant theme layout.

"Wow," Neo gasped. Everything seemed to be made out of flowers and vines. Vines and flowers hung down from the ceiling and walls, furniture was made from vines, lamps were flower themed, drapes were flower petals and tiny streams were running through the rooms along with what they assumed was the sink. Flower pedals hung down to shield the bed from the rest of the room. She walked over to the bed. It was close to the wall but there was still a big enough gap to walk through on her side of the bed. She summoned an earth crystal to fix that issue. "This is amazing. But the bed just needs to be a little closer to the wall. There. Now that's better."

She turned rushed over to one of the doors and found the bathroom a little farther away from the bed than it was in their room while Law checked out the kitchen area and their closet. It too held the flower theme. "So there's plumbing inside as well. I wonder how they managed that."

"They probably set up a skeleton structure with the pipes held in place so the Elementals could grow the tree around the plumbing," Law said looking over her shoulder when he reached her.

"Well, at least the bathtub is big enough for the both of us," Neo said, stepping over to the tub. She picked up one of the bubble bath bottles sitting on the side of the tub and opened it. "Jasmine. It smells so good. We'll have to use this later."

"You go ahead," Law said. "I don't want to smell like flowers."

"You will smell like flowers if I want you to smell like flowers," Neo said, glaring playfully at him.

"Not going to happen," Law said, leaving the bathroom.

"Oh!" Neo put the bottle down and followed after him.

"Besides, if we use bubbles then we won't be able to see each other," Law said from over his shoulder.

Neo opened her mouth to protest but found she had nothing to say about that. She crossed her arms over her chest with an annoyed huffed. "We're still bathing together."

"Yahoo!" Luffy then called out before he slid past their still opened door.

"Luffy," Neo said. "Leave it to him to turn anything into a toy."

"That moron," Law grumbled. "I'm not going to listen to him yelling like that everyday."

"Knock, knock," Jean Bart said as he appeared in their doorway with their luggage. "I come bearing gifts!"

"You're so sweet. Thanks for carrying those for us, Jean Bart," Neo said as Law took their luggage from the large man. "How are you doing? Is there a room big enough for you?"

"Yes, there's plenty of room for me," Jean Bart said. "I even managed to get a room to myself."

"That'll be nice," Neo said. "I bet Shachi and Penguin are sharing one. I hope they all get settled in nicely."

"They're doing just fine," Jean Bart said. "The crew was already talking about hitting up the local taverns."

"Oh dear," Neo said, placing her hand to her cheek. "How have they not gotten alcohol poisoning yet?"

"That's just their dumb luck at work," Jean Bart said as he moved away from their room. "I'll be going now."

"See you later, Jean Bart," Neo said. She turned back to Law just as he sat the luggage down in front of the dresser. "I don't think I want to unpack just yet."

"What do you want to do?" Law asked.

"Go home," Neo said.

"Come here, love," Law said, walking towards the couch. He sat down, set his sword aside, and patted his leg. When she sat down on him, he put his arms around her and kissed her temple. "Feeling a little vulnerable, are we?"

"Yeah." Neo laid her head on his shoulder. "It's my pregnancy though. I also feel cold."

"I know," Law said, rubbing his hand over her arm. "I can feel that. I can also feel that you're worried about my training."

"Of course I am. I'm trying not to be, but I just can't help it," Neo said.

"It's okay to worry, love," Law said. "You don't have to try and hide it from me. You're actually handling all of these very well."

"I know I don't have to hide it. And thanks," Neo said. "I think I'll be better once you have your guardian and we look around this island."

"Would you like to go exploring for a while?" Law asked despite feeling her become sleepy.

"No," Neo said before covering a yawn. "I'm sleepy. I think waking up early for two days in a row are catching up with me now."

"Let's sleep then," Law said.

"You'll stay with me?" Neo said, her eyes falling closed.

"Yes," Law said.

Neo sighed. Her body completely rested against his as she fell completely asleep.

Law stayed awake. He just watched her sleep, for once not because she was hurt but because he just wanted to watch her sleep. She always looked so peaceful while sleeping. If he didn't know better, he would think that she never went through a hard day in her life. But he knew that wasn't true. Sometimes it still amazed him that she had survived, even with her crystals. He felt so lucky that he found her. He wanted to always keep her safe, to always keep her and their baby safe. He was going to do his best to make that happen.

…

"Hey, she's asleep," Sanji said a little while later when he and Topaz walking into the room. "I was going to see if she wanted to help Basil and myself in cooking our first meal on Zion."

"She's feeling a bit insecure," Law said. "Plus, she woke up early these past two days. That's not helping anything either. So you two better cook without her."

"No problem," Sanji said.

"Poor baby," Topaz said, tucking Neo's hair behind her ear. "Well, I was coming here to tell you both I'm going to go out and meet some of the Elementals to find out what they know and don't know about our princess. Be sure to let her know."

"I will." Law nodded. He and Sanji watched the fire Elemental go before turning their eyes to each other.

"And how are you doing, Law?" Sanji asked.

"What do you mean?" Law asked.

"I know this isn't easy on you either," Sanji said. "You're about to go through some serious pain in getting your animal guardian and then even more while training. That pain is going to pass to Neo."

"How did you know all that?" Law asked.

"Bao doesn't know how to keep much a secret. He talked a lot when he was over on the Sunny," Sanji said with a smirk. "Look, you don't have to worry about Neo. We'll make sure she's fine. So you focus completely on your training. I'm sure Chopper will stick by her side the entire time just incase something comes up with her and your baby."

"Thanks, Blackleg," Law said. "It…it means a lot that you all will watch over her while I can't."

"Don't worry about it," Sanji said. "We love her after all. She means a lot to all of us. And your baby means just as much to us. No one is going to hurt either of them. And you know the Elementals will choose her side over anyone else's. That should give you a lot of comfort."

"It does, but I feel more secure with her around you Straw Hats and our own crew," Law said. "She's more comfortable with you all instead of strangers, even if they are Elementals."

"I can understand that," Sanji said.

Neo shifted and snuggled closer to Law. "Law, I'm cold."

"Well, I'll let you two rest now," Sanji said as headed for the door. Just then Luffy came sliding down the vine ramps again. He reached out and grabbed his captain by the ear.

"Yaho-Ouch! Sanji! Let go of my ear!" Luffy cried while Sanji tugged on his ear.

"And I'll take this dipstick with me so he doesn't both you." Sanji smiled. He grabbed the door to shut it and pulled Luffy away.

"Ouch! Sanji! Let go!" Luffy shouted.

"No! You're being too loud! Neo needs to sleep!" Sanji said.

"Then why are _you_ yelling?!" Luffy asked.

"Just shut up!" Sanji said, his voice fading away the farther away they got.

Law sighed. He wrapped his arms around Neo, using his own body heat to warm her up. He then closed his eyes to get some extra sleep himself. Unfortunately, he found that the couch was a little too stiff for his liking. So he carefully lifted Neo up and stood. Wondering over to the bed, he hoped it was more comfortable than the couch. He laid her down on the bed then carefully pulled the blanket and sheet out from underneath her. Placing his hat on the nightstand, he laid down with her. Neo shifted closer to him, tucking herself back into his warm chest and relaxing with a sigh. He pulled the covers over them and closed his eyes.

…

 **Catiorro: Law would be fun as a dragon. I just hope people aren't disappointed in what I picked.**

 **Apple Bloom: I try. I hope ya'll will be surprised with some stuff I do.**


	10. Law's Guardian

Law's Guardian

Law woke up after sleeping for an hour and ten minutes. With his groggy mind it took him a few seconds to register they weren't in their room on the sub. He rubbed his hand over his face before stretching out to release the stiffness that had gathered in his body from lying on his side for so long. His eyes drifted back over to Neo when he felt her stirring in her sleep. He watched her pull the cover up over her shoulders more tightly and snuggle down into them with a content sigh. It was actually kind of warm inside of their apartment so he knew this was just a pregnancy symptom. He was glad he packed a few of his hoodies for her. He got the feeling she was going to need them.

He turned his eyes over to the window, wondering where everyone was. Most likely Sanji told them that Neo was taking a nap and that would be why no one has stopped by. And it was also clear that whatever Sanji did to Luffy kept the rubber man from sliding down the vines since he didn't hear anymore of his annoying yelling. Slipping one hand behind his head, he glanced around at their temporary home. He wondered how thick the _walls_ were. He laid there for a while just listening for any kind of noise. He didn't hear any. He figured that mean the tree was grown to keep as much, if not all, noise out as it possible could. It probably also helped that they were on the opposite side of the town.

Law mind then wondered to his transformation that was going to take place later today. He wondered how painful it really was going to be. He knew people had different levels of pain tolerance. So maybe this wouldn't be as bad as Elek made it sound it was going to be. He hoped for Neo's sake that it wasn't. And he hoped that if it was she would use her solar crystal to ease the pain also for her sake and their baby's sake. Which reminded him, he was going to have to have Chopper monitor her blood pressure just in case he couldn't focus enough on her to make sure she wasn't getting too stressed out from his transformation. Just to be on the safe side. He didn't believe anything would go wrong. If something had the chance of doing so Elek would have brought it up.

Then he thought about what animal he might be. He still wasn't sure. He thought about his personality and what animal might represent that. Elek was an eagle. The eagle was one of the most powerful birds in the bird world. And while he hasn't seen Elek use his powers much, he got the feeling that Elek was a strong man. The Summoner even admitted to building ships. And you had to be strong to do that. Wisdom also suited the Summoner. He could easily pick up on Neo's issues when others haven't. Others like Bao who was a cheetah. Law snorted. Maybe the humans and their guardians had more in common than it first thought. Cheetahs were fast in speed and Bao was fast in hitting on women. Bao was also more on the thin side of things while Elek had more muscle. And cheetahs were the smallest of the big cats.

None of that helped him in figuring out what his animal guardian might be though. He thought about what animal would help them during their travels. With being on the sea he first thought a sea creature would be best, but then remembered they spent a lot of time on land too. Maybe he would become something that could go in both the water and the land. Like maybe a seal? How would that work with his Devil Fruit? Surely the seawater would still weaken him. He hoped it wasn't a sea animal unless they had someone on Zion that was one and had a Devil Fruit that could tell them if he could go in the water or not. He couldn't see himself as a seal though. But who knows? He might actually have a seal guardian. He still hoped it was something with fur. He knew Neo would like that better than anything since he knew she was going to groom him in his animal form. That just wasn't something negotiable. The only way he could be able to prevent her from doing that would be to order her not too. He knew he wouldn't have the heart to do it with how much she loved animals. He got the feeling he was going to from being her husband to her pet. The thought made him chuckle. He had to admit it would be kind of fun and humorous. He just hoped that when that happened no one outside of their crew and the Straw Hats would find out about it. He'd have to kill them if they did.

Before Law knew it Neo was waking up. He blinked in confusion to realize he had been thinking about his animal guardian for over an hour. He rolled back onto his side and looked down at her. He watched quietly as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes before looking up at him. "You awake now?"

"Not really." She looked around the room. Her anxiety rose slightly at the slightly unfamiliar sights of the plant interior. "Where are we?"  
"Zion," Law said.

"Oh, that's right," Neo said, her anxiety lowering. "We landed a few minutes ago."

"We landed three hours ago," Law said.

"What?" Neo looked back up at him.

"You've been asleep for about three hours," Law said.

"I have?" Neo tilted her head.

"I guess you were sleepier than we both thought," Law said.

"I guess so. What were you doing this whole time?" Neo asked.

"I slept myself for a little over an hour," Law said. "Then I was thinking about my animal guardian and what it might be."

"Are you worried about it?" Neo asked.

"A little bit because of you and our baby. You know I don't want you to be in anymore pain than you have to be." Law reached out and ran his fingertips through her soft hair. "I don't want either of you to get hurt here."

"We'll be fine, Law," Neo said. "I'll do my best to keep my worrying to a minimum. And I'll have the crew and Straw Hats right there beside me. Or I better have them and be there. They never said that we couldn't watch."

"You can," Law said. "And you will."

"Good," Neo said. She brought her fingers to his shirt and started fiddling with the fabric. "Now kiss me."

"Yes, ma'am." Law leaned over to capture her lips. But before their skin could connect a highly unwelcome knock came on their door.

"Seriously?" Neo asked with a groan. "Couldn't they have come when I was sleeping instead of when I'm trying to get a kiss from you?"

"Captain! Neo! Are you awake?!" Penguin's voice asked.

"Yes, Penguin," Neo replied. "Come in."

"Says the one who wants him to go away," Law said.

"You want him to go away too," Neo said.

"But you invited him in," Law said.

Neo opened her mouth but found she had nothing to say.

"I'm glad I came when you were-oh…" The door opened. Penguin's voice trailed off when he saw them in bed. "Am I…did I interrupt?"

"Yes," Law said flatly.

"I'm so sorry!" Penguin's cheeks flushed bright red. He turned to leave but bumped into the door instead, smashing his nose against it. "Ouch! I'm sorry! I'm leaving!"

"No, don't," Neo said, smacking Law on the chest. "We weren't doing anything."

"Yet." Law smirked.

"You sure?" Penguin asked, refusing to turn around.

"Yes, I'm sure," Neo said. "We were just talking and I asked for a kiss. That's all."

"Okay." Penguin slowly turned around.

"So what did you want?" Neo asked.

"Lunch is ready," Penguin said. "Blackleg asked me to come get you."

"Is everyone outside? I can sense Luffy, Chopper, Bepo, and Topaz at the bottom of the tree," Neo said while she sat up with Law.

"Yeah." Penguin nodded. "The apartments aren't big enough to hold us all. So he and Basil set up outside and cooked on an open fire. And Franky built some chairs and tables for us so we can sit outside."

"That was nice of him," Neo said.

"He said he's going to also put in a gazebo for us one day for when it's raining," Penguin said.

"I wish he wouldn't go through the trouble," Neo said.

"Trouble? You should have seen him! He build all of us a chair in just a few minutes!" Penguin said. "He's amazing! He also did a couple love seat size chairs for you and the captain. And he put in a swing on a near by branch."

"He sounds like he's been busy," Neo said. "Did you guys go into town?"  
"Some did," Penguin said. "They said the town is a real mess. The Elementals are easily cleaning things up, but they're still going to help out when they get the chance. As long and you and the captain have nothing against it."

"No, we don't mind," Neo said. "We want you all to stay out of trouble. And helping them with the town recovery will make sure of that, at least for a while."

"You don't have to worry about us," Penguin said, smiling. "We'll be just fine."

"Sure you will." Neo shot him a knowing smirk. "With Luffy here you lot will surely be dragged into some misadventure at some point in time. But even without him you guys can still get into plenty of trouble."

"Then we're lucky to have such a wonderful babysitter like you," Penguin said.

Neo grabbed a pillow and chunked it at him. "Don't be a suck up!"

Penguin chuckled and grabbed the pillow easily.

"You're lucky I didn't use my crystals with that." Neo winked.

"I get the feeling you're entering into a playful mood swing," Penguin said, tossed the pillow back.

"I might be," Neo said with a shrug. She grabbed the pillow and placed it back on the bed.

"Well, now's not the time to play," Law said while climbing off the bed. "It's time to eat."

"Yeah, I know." Neo followed him off the bed. She pecked his lips then headed for the bathroom. "But first…" She closed the door.

"I admire her," Penguin said. "She's being such a little trooper through her pregnancy. I hope she's okay through the entire thing."

"She'll be fine." Law placed his hat on his head. He then walked over to the couch and picked up his sword.

"I guess I might be too much to pray for a story book pregnancy for her," Penguin said. "She's already having plenty of symptoms for it. Anyway, how are you doing, Captain?"

"I'm fine," Law said. "I'm just ready to get my guardian and start training so I can see if I can figure out how long it's going to take me to master the Summoner levels."

"I hope it doesn't take too long," Penguin said. "I'm sure it won't though. You're amazingly strong. And if Elek is going to help teach you surely it'll take even less time. He's really patient and seems like the type that will explain things clearly."

"I guess it really depends on who's available to train someone," Law said. "They never did mention how that works."

"That's odd," Penguin said. Crossing his arms, he leaned back against the doorframe. "You'd think they would be more informative about this whole thing. But thinking back they're only giving out information at certain times."

Law kneaded his eyebrows. Penguin was right. They never were given an exact or clear description of what was going to happen here. Everything now seems so spotted or peppered. He wondered if there was something to that. After all, Elek didn't tell him the animal guardian process was going to be painful until yesterday. The man said it was because of Neo's insecurities and all, but since he knew about them surely he would have told them about it sooner than he did.

"You don't think something's up with them two, do you?" Penguin asked.

Alarms were going off in his body now. Law didn't want to think about it, but it was looking like they might have jumped the gun in coming here. His eyes roamed around the room. What once looked like a pleasure room filled with beautiful flowers suddenly looked like a valley of thorns. Was it possible they walked into a trap of some kind? But how would that be possible? What would Summoners want with pirates? Their bounties? He said, "I don't know. Neo still doesn't trust them completely. And when she is suspicious of someone her feelings always have turned out to be correct."

"Okay, Neo doesn't completely trust them. But she doesn't feel like we're in danger from them," Penguin said. "So that means?"

"I'm not sure," Law said. "If she thought they were going to hurt us she never would have allowed them on the sub or let us come here."

"So we're not in danger from them?" Penguin said.

"You know if we were then Neo would have had a nightmare about it," Law said. "And the only nightmare she's had is the one about me being faceless."

"And no one has still figured out what that means," Penguin said. His lips curled down into a frown.

Law could easily tell that his subordinate wished they didn't come here. But what choice did they have? He said, "Try not to worry about it."

"I'm going to anyway," Penguin said.

"I know." Law nodded. "This is Neo we're talking about after all. Just don't spread what we've talked about here to anyone else, at least not yet. I don't want them to worry anymore than they already are. And I certainly don't want to cause any trouble here."

"Aye, Captain." Penguin nodded. "But I'm sticking close to Neo when she's not with you or Straw Hat."

"Understood," Law said.

"Okay! I'm ready!" Neo sang when she came out of the bathroom. She paused upon feeling the heavy pressure in the room. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Penguin said, smiling. "We were just talking about the captain's animal transformation thing. I think we're all a bit worried about that. We'll feel better once it's done and over with."

"I completely agree," Neo said. "Are you two ready to go yet?"

"Getting hungry, huh?" Penguin asked.

"I am." Neo nodded then shooed them out the door. "So let's go! Go! Go! Go!"

"Okay! Okay! Okay!" Penguin chuckled. "We're going! We're going! We're going!"

Once outside, and the door to their room was shut, Neo engulfed them in her winds and flew them down to the ground. Lifting up towards them was the unmistakable smell of salmon, fresh vegetables, and freshly baked blueberry squares. Landing she said, "I smell salmon! And blueberries!"

"Plus almonds and fresh milk!" Basil said.

"Oh, I think I detect a theme going on here," Neo said. She narrowed her eyebrows at the two cooks. "You two made foods that will help lower my anxiety."

"Guilty as sin!" Basil and Sanji said.

"Ah, you guys are so sweet," Neo said. "Now, let's eat!"

"As you order, Princess," Sanji said. He spun over to Neo and Law and handed them their already made up plates. "Here you go. Now sit down and enjoy yourselves."

"Thanks, Sanji," Neo said. They took their plates and sat down on one of the loveseat benches that Franky made for them. The benches and chairs were covered with small pillowed for comfort that she knew Nami and Robin either brought over from the ship or brought while in town. She didn't care. She just wanted to eat. She could ask about that other stuff later. She took a bite of her steaming salmon. "So yummy!"

The pirates all sat down and ate while they talked about whatever they felt like, mostly about being on Zion and what they were going to do while they were here. Once he was finished eating, Law sat back in his chair and watched Neo speak with Nami and Robin. His eyes then ran over the rest of the pirates until they landed on Chopper. He then remembered he needed to speak with the reindeer doctor. Giving Neo one last look, he stood up and walked over to him. "Tony, you busy?"

"No," Chopper said. "What's up?"

"I need you to do me a little favor," Law said.

"What is it?" Chopper asked.

"I'd like you to monitor Neo's blood pressure while I'm going through this transformation," Law said.

"Sure thing," Chopper said, confused. "But why? You can do that with your bond."

"I know. But I don't know exactly what's going to happen to me when I'm going through this," Law said. "I might not be able to keep a close enough eye on her. All you have to do is test her blood pressure occasionally until the transformation is done and over with."

"You don't have to worry," Chopper said. "I'll be there by her side during the while thing. You have my word."

Law nodded in acceptance of his words.

…

"You all seem to be enjoying yourself," Elek said when he and Bao walked up to them.

"We're getting comfortable," Nami said.

"Neo! How are you liking Zion so far?" Bao asked, obviously excited to see and talk to her again.

"I don't know," Neo said. She leaned against Law's chest and placed her hand on his knee. "I've only seen very little of it."

"Well, I can give you a tour later," Bao offered.

"No, that's all right," Neo said. "I'm sure the crews will escort me around later."

"But they don't know where everything is," Bao said. "You'll need a tour guide."

"We can manage," Shachi said. "It's not like this is the first island we've ever been to. We're pirates after all. We're use to landing on new islands. Besides I'm sure the Elementals already have a tour set up for their princess."

Neo bit her lip in desperation not to laugh at the frown and disappointed look Bao had on his face. It was almost like he forgot they were pirates and Neo was a princess of a lot of the people who lived here. Or he wanted to forget that were pirates and Neo was a princess.

"I'm guessing you're here to finally get the captain's animal guardian to come out or whatever?" Tero asked, butting in before a fight could break out.

"That's what we're here for." Elek nodded. "Are you ready to go?"  
"Neo?" Law asked.

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "Let's go."

"If it's all right, I'm just going to leave the dishes here," Sanji said.

"We really want to see this," Basil added. "We'll clean up later."

"That's fine," Elek said.

"How long is this going to take?" Jean Bart asked.

"It shouldn't take very long," Elek said. He turned and walked away from the area. The pirates all stood up and followed after him.

"So where are we going?" Neo asked when she noticed they were heading into the town.

"We're going to the Hall of Orbs," Bao said.

"That place sounds so cool!" Luffy said.

"Hall of Orbs?" Usopp said. "We never saw anything like that in town when we were there before."

"It's on the west side of the town," Bao said.

"You mean we have to walk all the way across the town?" Usopp said. "But that'll take forever! This place is huge! And why do you call it a town anyway? This isn't a town. It's a city."

"I'm not really sure why we call it a town when it is technically a city," Bao said. "I guess we just like the sound of town better than city."

"I think it's because of all the Elementals," Elek said. "If you were in town earlier then you noticed all of the flora and fauna that was there."

"I noticed that immediately," Brook said.

"Well, that makes sense then," Zoro said. "With the Elementals here it's only natural for this place to feel like it's a small town rather than a large city."

"He's got a point," Bepo said. "It felt like this back on Luminous too. No matter how big the cities or towns we came to were it always felt like a small country town."

"Well, I'm not walking all the way there," Neo said. She summoned her wind crystals and lifted a gale around them, pulling them into the air.

"Yahoo! We're flying!" Luffy cheered.

"So much fun!" Chopper added.

"I always love it when Neo does this!" Usopp said. "The wind smells so fresh and clean!"

"Must you three always get so happy when you fly?" Tero said. "It's not like this is the first time you've even been flown by Neo."

"Who cares? It's still fun!" Luffy said.

"Yeah!" Usopp and Chopper cheered.

"Ow! This is super!" Franky said, his hair now in the shape of wings.

"Children," Tero scoffed. "You just had to make an alliance with them, didn't you, Captain?"

Law didn't respond. He just let his hat drop over his eyes.

"Hey! You two really love the Straw Hats!" Neo said with a giggle. She flew over to Tero, put her arms around his neck, and kissed his cheek. "You just don't want to admit it!"

"You and your mood swings," Tero grumbled.

"I know you love me," Neo said. "And speaking of love." She flew over to Law and wrapped her arms his neck. "I love you too."

Law smiled.

"I love all of you!" Neo said looking back at her crews. Her eyes landed on Jean Bart and sparkled. "Can I braid your hair?"

"No," Jean Bart said.

"Aw, party pooper." Neo pouted, resting her chin on Law's shoulder.

"We don't have time for that anyway," Law said. "You need to pay attention to where you're flying us."

"Oh! Sorry!" Neo turned her attention back to her winds but kept her hold on Law. She increased her winds to get them there sooner. A minute later, they landed in front of a bluish grey platform with five columns. Four of the columns were on the four corners of the square platform. The fifth was in the center of the floor with glowing orbs nestled on small velvet pillowed placed in carved out arches, the middle arch empty of an orb.

The pirates stood in awe of what they saw.

"This is amazing," Robin said.

"The structure is incredible," Franky said.

"It's so beautiful," Nami said.

"I feel like we just walked inside of a church," Usopp said.

"I feel that way too," Chopper said. "But I'm not sure why. This place is nothing like a church. Or none that I've seen."

"You probably feel that way because this place is a very sacred to us," Elek said. Everyone turned their eyes to find the Summoners with very calm expressions on their faces. "This place holds the orbs that give us our powers."

"Is it normal for the orbs to be unguarded if they're that important to you?" Bepo asked.

"It's fine," Bao said. "There never has been anyone in the history of the Summoners where the orbs were target to be stolen. They're really not valuable in terms of money. We would still be able to use our summons no matter where they are in the world."

"The only probably it would cause is for people who were forced to be Summoners," Elek added. "We'd have to go after the orbs then. But I highly doubt someone will try and steal them. We after all are on an island full of Summoners and Elementals."

"You have a good point there," Jean Bart said. He looked back towards the town, taking in how many Elementals they saw and how many people were using their Summoner's aura to repair the town when they were there. "It would basically be suicide coming here to cause trouble. Smarter pirates, thieves, treasure seekers, and even the Navy would know better than to come here to cause trouble."

"You're a very wise man," Elek said.

"I've been sailing the seas for a long time," Jean Bart said. "It's second nature not to know when it's smart to attack and when it's smart to retreat."

"So you need all the orbs to…fix Law?" Neo asked.

"No, we only need one," Elek said.

"Oh, that's a relief," Neo said, exhaling. She turned her eyes from the man when she heard and sensed others walking up to them. She kneaded her eyebrows and stepped closer to Law. She could feel the animals inside of them. One was a bear, the second a lion, the third a buffalo, and the fourth one was an alligator, all very powerful animals in the animal kingdom. She could feel the intensity coming from them from the animals inside of them and from their stone faces. She didn't trust them. "Who are they? Why are they here?"

"Elek?" Topaz asked. "Is this normal?"

"No, it's not. The Council wants them here in case something goes wrong," Elek said, sounding very displeased with the four Summoners arriving here.

"What do you mean?" Neo turned her worried eyes to the man. "If what goes wrong?"

"It's really nothing. The Council is just being over cautious since Trafalgar is as strong as he is with his Summoner's aura," Elek said. "Nothing bad has ever happened when someone gets their guardian. So you have nothing to worry about."

"All right," Neo said, eyeing the new people cautiously. "Can we just get this over with then?"

"You got it." Elek nodded.

Neo leaned into Law's chest. _'Law, I'm scared.'_

 _'I know. It'll be fine and over soon.'_ Law passed his sword over to Bepo so he could wrap his arms around Neo. He held her tightly for a few seconds before taking his hat off his head and placing it on hers. "Here, hold on to this for me."

"I will," Neo said.

Law tilted her chin up and kissed her lips. "I'll be right back."

"Okay." Neo nodded. She reluctantly released her hold on him. She watched him closely while he walked upon to the platform with Elek. The other four Summoners walked up there as well. Only they spread out to four different spots while Law and Elek went right in front of the column holding the orbs. She barely sensed her friends gathering closer around her. Chopper was sitting on Franky's arm so he could be right next to Neo. She didn't even notice the little doctor putting a blood pressure cuff on her arm. "So what happens now?"

"Elek's going to remove the orb on Trafalgar's forehead," Bao explained. "Once it's removed the orbs will do the rest."

"What exactly will the orbs do?" Topaz asked.

"They'll penetrate Trafalgar with their aura," Bao said. "It'll correct the damage, if you will, from him becoming a Summoner the incorrect way by merging him with whatever his animal guardian is. When that happens his body will transform automatically into his animal form."

"When will he go back to normal?" Neo asked.

"If varies from person to person," Bao said.

Neo bit her bottom lip. Her fingers lifted up to Law's ring. She started fiddling with it while Chopper pumped up the blood pressure cuff, which she still didn't notice.

"How's she doing?" Franky asked.

"Her blood pressure is rising a bit," Chopper said. "But she'll be fine once Law's back to normal."

…

"All right. I'm going to remove the orb now," Elek said. "Once that happens the orbs here will penetrate your body with their aura and you'll start to change."

"Do it." Law nodded.

"All right." Elek reached up. Using his fingers like pinchers he grabbed the orb and pulled it off. The orbs auras flared up in response. He pocketed the orb and walked away. "Just trying and bare with it as best you can. It'll be over soon."

Law swallowed. He could feel Neo's blood pressure increasing steadily right along with his own. He wanted this to already be over for her sake. He exhaled as the auras started flowing into his body. Without any kind of warning, he felt a ton of pressure on his body. A deep grunt escaped his lips from the pain. He couldn't feel Neo anymore but knew she was feeling this just like he was. Then came the needles.

…

Neo whimpered when the pressure hit her body. Her knees buckled under her.

"Neo!" Penguin grabbed onto his sister. Pulling her against his chest, he lowered her to the ground. "Neo?"

"I'm…I'm okay," Neo said despite the fact she really wasn't. Peaking through one eye, she looked over at Law. It only hurt her more to see him buckled over in his own pain. She closed her eye again. She didn't want to see it. It didn't hurt as much if she didn't look. "Penguin."

"I'm right here," Penguin said.

"We all are, Neo," Robin said.

"I know," Neo said, wrapping her arms around her body. "I know. Just stay with me."

"Of course we will, Neo," Sanji said.

"Yeah, we're right by your side," Luffy said, squatting down next to her. "Tra's going to be all right. You just hold on a little bit longer."

"I'm trying," Neo said.

…

 _Neo, just hold on a little bit longer,_ Law thought to himself. He held out his hand. Staring at it, he noticed his skin was becoming a light grey. His body was turning into some kind of animal. Sharp needles continued to stab into his body during the transformation. He felt like his bones were trying to force their way out of his body. His chest burned with fire as his cheeks ached from gritting his teeth so hard. Time seemed to stop. It felt like he was frozen in an eternal hell of pain. How long was this going to happen to them? How long was Neo going to have to endure this pain? How was she doing? He wanted to look but couldn't bring himself to. He hated seeing her in pain. He knew he would have walked away from this if he saw her. He had to remind himself over and over that this was for her sake. It was too keep her safe and the crews safe. He was able to bear it better then. He wasn't completely sure, but he felt like the pain was lessening. He opened his eyes to look at his hand again. His eyes widened at what he saw. His hand was gone. In its place was a paw. The smoky grey fur was coupled with black open rosettes. He knew he had seen this fur before but couldn't recall where or what animal it belonged to. He then felt his entire body changing. He leaned over, now standing on all four paws of his animal guardian.

…

"It hurts," Neo said when she felt the needles from Law's transformation. "It feels like thousands of needled are puncturing our bodies."

"That means the transformation is almost complete," Elek said.

"I still can't believe you can feel his pain," Bao said. "It's insane."

"Hey, the captain's changing fully now," Basil said.

"What is he turning into?" Shachi asked.

"It looks like a snow leopard," Jean Bart said.

"The captain's a snow leopard?" Shachi asked.

"What did you expect him to be?" Penguin questioned.

"I don't know. A spotted seal?" Shachi replied.

"You expect the captain to be a spotted seal?" Tero looked at his crewmate. "Why?"

"Because of his pants and his hat?" Shachi offered.

"You were going by his pants and his hat?" Tero asked, looking dumbfounded.

"Well, what did you think he was going to be?" Shachi planted his hands on his hip.

"I didn't care and still don't." Tero crossed his arms.

"You guys are so funny," Luffy said. "I think a snow leopard fits, Tra."

"Hey, something's happening to him," Nami said.

They all turned their eyes back to Law. They watched as Law shook his head then walk in circles like he was confused or lost.

"What's happening to him?" Robin asked.

"What?!" Neo looked up at Law.

"This better end soon," Chopper said. "Neo's blood pressure is steadily rising faster now."

"Just hold on a little bit longer," Elek said. "It's almost over."

"Something's not right," Neo said, her eyes locked onto Law. She watched him continue turning in circles before he started scratching and trying to bite himself in different places.

"What do you mean?" Luffy asked. "Tra looks fine to me."

"No, he's not," Neo said. "I can feel it. Something's wrong."

"What do you mean, Neo?" Robin asked.

"I'm not sure," Neo said. "But I can sense something inside of him. He feels it too but he's confused. It's like his animal side and his human side are battling each other to try and take control or something."

Then, without any kind of warning, Law's aura flared up like a wildfire. His normal steel colored eyes turned black with the blue slits just like when he lost control on the beach. The Summoners on the platform took a step back from him causing Law to turn his attention to them. His aura lashed out at them like whips. They formed their own aura shields to block the attacks that hammered down on them.

"Oh no!" Penguin said. "Don't tell me he's losing control again!"

"No, it's not that," Neo said, wincing at the pain still inside of her body.

"Then what is it?" Zoro asked, pulling out his swords. "I really don't want to have to fight him again."

"You won't have to fight him," Neo said. "I'm sorry I can't tell what's happening. But I do know that he's not going to attack us. He won't do that with me here. He's just confused."

"I'm not so sure about this," Nami said, eyeing Law carefully. She tightened her hold on her baton when Law took two steps closer to one of the Summoners. "He looks like he wants to kill someone."

"He won't," Neo said.

"The Summoners up there don't look to sure either," Usopp said.

"Elek, tell them it's okay," Neo said. "Law's just confused."

"Okay!" Elek nodded. But before he could get a word out to them, the Summoners moved in for their own attack.

"Bind him!" one said. "He's losing control!"

The four Summoners all cried out, "Chains of Naturae! Bind The New Summoner!"

Chains formed out of their auras just like they did for Elek and Bao. The chains shot out Law, snapping at his limbs. Law jumped to dodge them. He landed on his paws and flared out his aura. His aura snapped out at the chains, knocking them away from him when the came towards him again. The Summoners tired again, moving the chains like snakes as they attempted to get them wrapped around him. Law continued to dodge them, striking back at them until one came out from the platform floor. It wrapped around his back left leg. He hissed at it. Before he could attempt breaking the chain off of him, the other Summoners wrapped their chains around him, binding him to the floor.

"No! Stop that! What are they doing?!" Neo demanded.

"I'm not sure," Elek said. "No one has ever been chained down like that before."

"Well, stop it!" Neo said. Her eyes bounced back and for the between Law and Elek. "I don't like it! You have to stop it right now! Law didn't do anything wrong!"

Elek rushed up to the platform and called out to the others. "Hey! Stop that! What are you doing?! There is no justification for this treatment!"

"Back off Summoner Elek!" one of the Summoners said. "We are under orders from the Council to act as we see fit for this transformation!"

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Bao said. "We've never had to do anything like this before!"

"Silence!" the Summoner said. "You two will no longer interfere!"

Elek gritted his teeth and clenched his hands. Feeling defeated, he walked back over to the ground. He looked at Neo and said, "I'm so sorry about all of this. The Council ordered these men here for whatever reason. I can't go against their orders."

"No! This wasn't part of it! They can't hold him down!" Neo jumped up from the ground despite Penguin's best efforts to hold onto her. Summoning her wind crystals, she took of for Law. "Let him go! Right! Now!"

"Neo, wait!" Elek called out.

"No!" Neo snapped.

"I've got her!" Bao said, gathering his orange aura around his body. He bolted forward.

"Oh crap!" Sanji cursed.

"Bao! No!" Penguin called out.

"Don't touch her!" Everyone said.

But it was too late. Bao caught up with Neo. He reached his hand out and grabbed her ankle.

Neo snapped. Her body temperature dropped. Her mind shot back to her past. All of the painful memories of being cornered, hit, treated like a freak came rushing back. She screamed. Her wind crystals picked up speed causing the pirates to dig their heels into the ground and threw the Summoners off balance. It pushed Bao flying back from her, freeing her from his grip. But the damaged had already been done. She dropped to the ground and curled up into a ball while crying. "Law!"

…

Law's mind was still struggling to regain control of whatever was trying to take him over. His body struggled to get free of the chains. His vision was cloudy, but when he heard Neo's scream, the cloudiness was pushed side by his protective side. His eyes turned back to normal and immediately shot over to Neo. A harsh hiss came out of his throat when he saw her curled up on the ground. His aura flared up, snapping the chains that bound him, freeing him to run over to her.

"Look out!" one Summoner said. "He's free!"

"We have to stop him before he hurts someone!" a second Summoner said. They all moved to try and chain Law down again. They rushed forward, but suddenly their bodies went flying backwards. They hit the floor hard. Through the pain they looked up to see some of the pirates at hit them.

Luffy, Sanji, Zoro, and Tero had been the ones to knock them down. Luffy cracked his knuckled. He said, "Don't you dare try that again."

"You shouldn't have done it in the first place," Sanji said, angrily.

"You are not allowed to-" a Summoner started.

"Shut up," Zoro said, pointing the tip of his sword at the Summoner's face. "We're pirates. We do what we want."

"And we won't tolerant you chaining down our captain," Tero said. "You've upset Neo enough."

Law didn't turn back to see what was going on behind him. He just continued to run right over to the one who needed him the most, Neo. He slowed down a bit when he reached her. He then stood over her, shielding her from everyone else, while hissing and swiping out his paw at Bao.

"Whoa!" Bao held up his hands from his spot on the ground. "Easy now! I didn't mean any harm!"

"You idiot!" the pirates screamed while several of them, mostly the Heart Pirates, took turns hit the young Summoner over his head.

"What the heck was that for?!" Bao demanded, holding his now throbbing head.

"Neo, can't be touched by people she doesn't know!" the pirates shouted.

"What?! That's stupid!" Bao said. "Why can't she be touched?! And she knows me!"

"Not well enough!" they shouted.

"Because she's been abused for most of her life, you idiot!" Penguin growled. "If you'd open those eyes of yours and pay attention to the things we told you and how Neo's been acting around you, you would have noticed that!"

"What?! I would not have!" Bao said. "She looks normal to me!"

"Just shut up!" Penguin snapped.

Topaz walked closer to Neo and Law, earning a warning hiss from her captain. Despite knowing he wouldn't hurt her, she still heeded to his warning. She knelt down two feet from them and spoke softly. "Easy. It's okay, Captain. Neo's not hurt. No one here is going to hurt her. She just needs you to calm her down. She just got scared because she was touched by Bao."

Law's body relaxed to Topaz's words. His snow leopard lips fell back over his teeth. His agitation disappeared from his body as he turned to Neo. He started to purr and lick her bare leg to comfort her. His aura shifted in smooth, fluid movements like it was in sync with his purring. Then, with a startling gasp from everyone around them, his aura engulfed Neo's body. As it did, her skin was starting to be replaced with snow leopard fur.

"Law." Neo opened her eyes and looked at him. Her eyes drifted down to her leg where her skin was changing from its sun kissed color to smoky grey fur. She blinked in confusion at the transformation, but didn't feel fear as her body changed into a snow leopard. Once completely transformer, her fur was the exact same color as his but for the rosettes. Hers was a dark blue while he's remained black. She snuggled up to his side while he continued to purr and lick the top of her head in soothing strokes.

"Oh my," Brook said. "What just happened?"  
"I'm not sure," Elek said, scratching his head in complete confusion. "Nothing like this has ever happened before. A Summoner's aura has never affected another person like this."

"They just can't be normal, can they?" Shachi asked, crossing his arms over his chest. His comment earned a few chuckles and the once tense air evaporated. Whatever was bogging them down before was completely gone now that both Neo and Law were calm again.

Robin stepped forward. She bent down next to Topaz. Whispering, she asked, "Do you think it's possible that this has something to do with their bond?"

"It might," Topaz said. "They've been calling this Summoner's aura a _power_. But it could very well be _magic_ instead. If a _power_ could have an influence on Neo and the captain then the Devil Fruits would have shown that a long time ago. Or I think they might have."

"So we're dealing with magic instead of power," Robin said.

"I believe so," Topaz said. "We'll need more information on this. We really should get to the library as soon as we can to learn more about the history of the Summoners."

Robin nodded in agreement.

"Okay, so how do they change back?" Usopp asked.

"For Trafalgar, all he has to do is want to turn back," Elek said. "I'm not so sure about Neo. She might turn back when he does since it appears his aura caused this transformation."

"Hey!" Luffy then called out. They all turned and look to see he was calling out to the other four Summoners who were running off. "You come back here!"

"Let them go," Zoro said, sheathing his swords.

"Where are they going in such a hurry?" Bepo asked.

"To talk to the Council," Bao said. "They're just going to tell the Council about what happened here. Those four are basically the Council's lap dogs. Most likely this just means Trafalgar and Neo will have to see the Council."

"Is that a problem?" Franky asked.

"It could be," Bao said, gesturing at Neo and Law lying on the ground. "Nothing like this has ever happened before so they're going to want to know why and possibly do some tests."

"They're changing back now," Robin said.

Their eyes went back to the two pirates. Neo and Law's bodies were half changed when they looked then was completely back to normal a few seconds later. Neo was the first to open her eyes. She blinked up at everyone starting at her before remembering what happened. She shot up and placed her hands on Law's back. "Law! Law, wake up! Penguin! Why won't he wake up?!"

"Calm down, Neo," Penguin said. He knelt down and wrapped his arms around her.

"He's just sleep," Chopper said, checking on Law's vital signs.

"He's all right?" Neo asked.

"He is." Chopper nodded.

"Good. I was so worried. But what happened to us? I was different. Something happened to my body," Neo said before her eyelids closed. Her body went limp in Penguin's arms from her stress.

"Neo!" Luffy cried, bending down to check on her.

"She's all right, Straw Hat," Penguin said. "She's just tired and stressed out from everything that happened here."

"So what now?" Brook asked.

"We should get Trafalgar to the hospital," Elek said.

"What for?" Topaz asked.

"Just for precaution," Elek said. "I want to make sure that his body isn't going to be damaged or reacting differently than it should."

"That makes sense," Topaz said. "But I want them taken to a Healer. Surely you have at least one on Zion with so many Elementals here."

"We do." Elek nodded. "We'll take them to the best Healer we have here."

"Come on, Neo," Penguin said as he lifted his sister into his arms. "I've got you."

"I'll get the captain," Bepo said, handing off the sword to Shachi. He picked Law up then followed Elek and the others back into the town.

…

Law opened his eyes to the sound of the familiar beeping of a heart monitor. His body was humming with a stiffness that he couldn't figure out where it came from. His brain was cloudy and trying to piece together what happened to him and where he was. When he blinked his brain cleared a bit and he noticed the ceiling above him was a pale white. Wherever he was it wasn't the sub. He blinked again. This time he saw a gently set of eyes looking back at him. His mouth was dry but he managed to say one word. "Neo?"

"No," the eyes said. "But she is here. She's right beside you."

Law turned his head to his love. Relief flooded his body upon seeing her sleeping peacefully beside him. He brushed his nose close to her hair, since she was still wearing his hat, breathing in her sweet sent that he enjoyed so much.

"She hasn't left your side since she woke up," the eyes said. "She's flat out refused to leave you."

"Yeah," Law mumbled. "She does that."

"Hey, your friend's awake," the eyes then said.

Law turned his attention back to the person talking. Now with a clearer head, he found the eyes belonged to an old man wearing a white lab coat. He was standing next to a heart monitoring machine. They were inside of a hospital.

"Tra!" Luffy said, appearing in Law's vision.

"We were a bit worried about you," Chopper said, jumping upon to the bed. "You've been sleeping for an entire day."

"An entire day," Law said.

"With what happened you should have been out for an entire week," the doctor said.

Law turned his eyes back to the doctor. The man was looking at the readings of his heartbeat.

"But thanks to the princess's solar crystal," he continued. "You've made a remarkably fast recovery."

"You're an Elemental," Law said, finally sensing the man's inhumane nature and noticing his white hair had a tint of green to it.

"You got it." He smiled. "I'm Healer Chase. Your friends asked if I would keep an eye on you two until you woke up. You gave us quite a little scare there for a while. Your heart rate was really erratic. I'm betting it had something to do with your odd transformation. But it's settled down now and you're back to normal. It also helped that the princess used her solar crystal on you. I have no idea what might have happened if she wasn't here."

"Thanks," Law said. He was grateful his crew was looking out for him and Neo. He knew Neo would be far more comfortable with an Elemental touching them than a human doctor. "So when can I get checked out of here?"

"Whenever you want," Healer Chase said. He reached underneath Law's collar and removed his crystal patches from the pirate's skin. "I see no reason for you to stay here any longer. Unless you're having some symptoms I don't know about. Are you dizzy? Seeing double? Or anything like that?"

"I only feel tired and a bit stiff," Law said.

"That's to be expected," Healer Chase said. "You might feel kind of sluggish for the next couple of days even with the princess's solar crystal. But it's normal, nothing to worry about at all. Just come and see me if anything else out of the normal pops up or if the sluggishness lasts longer than a week."

"That's good," Law said. "I'll do that."

"You were amazing, Tra!" Luffy said. "I can't believe you turned Neo into a snow leopard too."

"What are you talking about?" Law asked.

"Your guardian animal is a snow leopard. While you were transformed four Summoners locked you down with chains because you went a bit wild," Chopper explained. "Neo freaked out a bit and tried to fly over to you. But Bao used his speed to catch up to her and he grabbed her. Then you freaked out because he brought back her old memories. We're not sure yet on the why and how, but your aura passed to her and she too became a snow leopard."

"So my guardian animal is a snow leopard," Law said. "Neo's going to love that."

"It would be so cool if Neo became a Summoner too," Luffy said. "But no one is sure if that will happen."

"What are you talking about?" Law narrowed his eyebrows.

"There's a lot of talk going around the town about what happened between you two yesterday," Chopper said. "The Council even wants to talk to you two as soon as you're up and well. Apparently they have some concerns about this happening. But no one will tell us why exactly. I get the feeling you two are going to have to tell them about your bond."

Law hummed in thought. He really didn't want to tell them about that, but it was starting to look like they had no choice. He needed to run tests as well. Neo transforming could hurt their baby. His eyes widened. Their baby was there when she transformed. He struggled to sit up.

"Hey, take it easy," Healer Chase said.

"I can't," Law said. "Our baby-"

"Is just fine," Healer Chase said. "Topaz felt it best to inform me of the princess's condition. So I checked on the baby too. And everything is just fine. Its little heartbeat is normal and there are no abnormalities showing upon my ultrasound. I triple checked everything."

"Thank God. And thank you." Law sighed and allowed himself to drop back down to the bed. He ran his hands over his face while relief flooded his chest. "So where's everyone else?"

"Penguin, Bepo, and Shachi are just outside of the room," Luffy said. "They're keeping an eye on things. The rest of the crews are in the waiting room downstairs. No one's wondered very far from you three. They're going to be so happy to hear that you all are doing well now."

"I'll go ahead and get the paperwork filled out," Healer Chase said. "Once you're ready to leave you can go on ahead. I'm usually here but do make occasionally home visits to patients who can't make the trip here. I'm usually easy to find just by asking around. I also gave Topaz my home address and transponder snail number just in case. Feel free to call or come over anytime you need to."

"Thank you, Healer," Law said.

Healer Chase smiled. He nodded to the pirates and left the room. "Your captain's awake now."

"That's great!" Shachi said.

Penguin rushed into the room quickly followed by Shachi and Bepo. They stood by the bed with smiles on their faces.

"Captain!" Bepo cried, tears running down his furry cheeks while he clung to Law's sword. "I was so worried about you!"

"I'm fine, Bepo," Law said.

"You really gave us a scare there for a moment," Shachi said. "We thought you were going to completely lose it."

"What happened?" Penguin asked.

"I'm not sure," Law said, staring up at the ceiling. He tried to recall what happened to him, but got nothing. "I remember when I started to transform then I'm waking up here."

"I wonder if that's normal," Chopper said.

"Where are Elek and Bao?" Law asked.

"I think they're still with the Council," Chopper said. "We haven't seen them much since your transformation."

Law narrowed his eyebrows. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. He didn't get much time to think about it as he felt Neo starting to wake up from her own slumber. He turned his eyes back towards her and smiled when she opened her eyes. "Hey, love."

"Hm?" Neo blinked then gasped when she realized Law was awake. She bolted up and immediately captured his lips with her own in a desperate kiss. She only broke apart from him when both their lungs were screaming for air. Tears pour down her cheeks at that point. "Law, I was so scared. Something happened to you. Then they tied you down and…and…"

"Shh." Law placed his hand behind her head and pulled her to his shoulder. "It's all right, love. It's over. I'm fine. We're okay."

"I know, I know." Neo nodded. "I was just so scared. And then Bao touched me…I freaked out."

"I know you did," Law said. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to stop it. I promise he'll never touch you again. I'll make sure of that."

"What are you going to do?" Neo asked, lifting her eyes to him.

"Don't worry about it," Law said. "Just leave it to me."

"Okay." Neo nodded slightly. She closed her eyes, letting herself breath in his scent and be calmed by it. "When can we leave here?"

"Anytime we want," Law said. "The healer said we could go when you woke up. He also said I'm back to normal so you don't have to worry about me anymore."

"All right," Neo said.

"Are you ready to leave?" Law asked.

"Yeah." Neo nodded and pulled herself away from him.

Law then sat up. He stretched out his body to make sure everything was working properly, noticing his body was less stiff from before. He then took his boots from Shachi, who was holding them out to him, and slipped them on. Once on his feet, Neo was right by his side. He put his arm around her, leaving his sword to Bepo, and led the way out of the room. When they got back down to the waiting room, his crew cheered upon seeing them.

"Captain!"

"It's good to see you awake!"

"We were worried about you!"

"You scared us!"

"That transformation was wild!"

"So how are you feeling?" Sanji asked.

"We're fine," Law replied.

"And ready to get out of here," Neo said. They all mumbled in agreement before carrying out their desires. Once outside, Neo wrapped them all up into her winds and flew them all back to their temporary home. Not feeling like being crowded in their small, unfamiliar apartment, Neo asked to stay outside for a while. They all agreed and sat down in the chairs Franky made them. Neo pulled her legs up underneath her and curled up in Law's hold while they discussed everything that happened with Law in an attempt to figure out what happened.

…

Elek stood with his eyes locked onto the Council. He was trying not to let the smug looks of the four Summoners standing in front of the Council's platform get to him. They had no reason to look so smug right now. He wanted to slap those looks off their faces. But he continued to focus his attention on the real problem at hand. He didn't know why but the Council suddenly looked like they were judges and executioners to him sitting in their large cushioned chairs looking down upon him and Bao. He really had no clue what was going on. Everything felt turned upside down right now for some reason. Law's odd transformation seem to have set them all on edge.

"Summoner Elek, we understand you have become friends with these pirates," the only man on the Council said.

Elek's eyes shifted to him. He studied the older man before him. His name was Mohan. He always sat in the middle chair. His black hair was always cut neatly above his ears, his black eyes always cold and distant towards people.

"But with what happened," the woman to Mohan's left said.

Elek looked at her. Her name was Fatin. Her long black hair was braided and pulled over her right shoulder. Her black eyes were filled with boredom as she propped herself up on her elbow, chin resting in her hand.

"It's best to leave the training of the new Summoner up to these four," the other woman waved her hand at the four Summoners standing below them.

Elek looked at her. Her name was Morana. Her straight black hair was cut just over her shoulders. Her eyes were also black yet full of wisdom.

"They are some of the strongest in the land," Mohan said. "And because we have no idea yet why this man's transformation was so different from everyone else's we're not going to take any chances on keeping our home safe."

"I can understand that, but this isn't a normal case in more ways than one," Elek said. "Neo is very different from anyone we have ever met. She needs time to adjust to new people and places."

"That is not our concern," Mohan said. "Our only duty is to train new Summoners and keep this place safe."

"We do not feel that you and Bao will be good teachers for him," Morana said. "This new Summoner is clearly strong. He needs some of the strongest Summoners to watch over him while he trains."

"But we are on the same level," Elek said.

"But you are not emotionally detached from them," Morana said. "That will cloud your judgment in training the new Summoner."

"And what about Neo?" Bao asked.

"We will have the Summoners here test them to see if she can use any of the summons," Mohan said. "If not then there is no reason for her to sit in with the new Summoner and train. We will also be there to watch the new Summoner's next transformation. If the double transformation happens again then we will be ordering tests to be done on the two to see if we can figure out why the girl is able to use the new Summoner's power."

Elek sighed. It had been decided. "I would like to make a request."

"What is it?" Mohan asked.

"I would like to occasionally sit in during Trafalgar's training to see how he's doing," Elek said. "And I would like to be there in the beginning. I'd like to make sure that Neo understands what's happening to her husband when he starts training. It would be beneficial to us all if I was there."

"Hm." Mohan stroked his chin. "I don't see why not. Your request is granted."

"Thank you, Council," Elek said. He and Bao turned to leave.

"Wait one moment," Mohan said. "We would like for the new Summoner and the woman to come see us first time tomorrow. I hear the Elementals are holding a welcoming party of some sort for their princess, after they visit with us they can be free to go to the party. That is not negotiable. And we only want to see them two. No one else."

"Understood," Elek and Bao said before leaving the room.

…

 **Author's Notes: Hope no one's disappointed in making Law a snow leopard. I really wanted to make him a spotted seal since that's what Oda said he was. But it really wouldn't fit into the story. And you can do more with a leopard than a seal. I haven't decided whether or not he would be able to go in the water if he did get a water animal. Might let people decide that on their own since it doesn't have anything to do with the plot.**

 **Sarge1130: Yes, I've looked up snow leopards multiple times. They are so cute!**

 **Apple Bloom: We're close to training. We have one more chapter before training begins.**

 **Catiorro: We're not to his training just yet. We will be in chapter 12.**


	11. Welcoming

Welcoming

Neo's right hand was firmly clutching onto Law's left hand while her left hand was firmly clutching onto his arm just above his elbow. The chill in the air made her walk as close to him as she possibly could. And almost made her wish she had worn her sandals as the floor felt very cold on her feet. From the outside, this building looked like any other. Its walls were a light tan color, the windows trimmed with light green shutters, and the doors wooden with illustrations of the Zion Orbs and other illustrations that were suppose to be of the island's history. She didn't know for sure. She only heard someone mention it when a crewmember asked about it. The inside of the building, however, was completely different. The walls, ceiling, and floors were a smooth greyish blue color. More illustrations were depicted on the walls but no other decorations were inside, not even tables, pictures, paintings, or flowers. It felt like they had walked into a cave with small lamps along the walls to give them just enough light to see.

When they had entered, they came face to face with three different hallways to go. One of them when to their left, the other to their right, and the third was right in front of them. And it was the third one they were taking. Elek told them it would take them right to the Council's receiving room. So they immediately took it. Walking down the hall they found more halls branching off to their left and right. The hallways seemed endlessly long. But at the end of each one was a lamp showing the hallways emptied into another hallway. It confused her. She wanted to know why this place was built with so many hallways but no other rooms. She had questioned Elek on why this place had so many hallways when they had entered but his only answer was, "It was just built that way." This building was apparently built over seven hundred years ago so the reason as to why it held so many hallways really was unknown.

Her eyes ran curiously over the illustrations. Some were pleasant to look at while others appeared to depict horrible battles that were very bloody. Finally, she had to force her eyes away from the dark illustrations. It was starting to make her stomach spin. And she didn't want to get sick in a place that appeared to have no bathroom. She snuggled into Law's arm and said, "I don't like it here. Something feels wrong about this place. It's too empty yet still feels very crowded."

"Yeah." Law nodded in agreement. He too was on edge about this place and had his eyes scanning everywhere he possibly could. Despite Neo's ability to sense the animals within the Summoners, it still felt like they were being watched. No he felt like they were being _stalked_ for some reason. He had no idea how or why though. He ran his eyes over everything again and again. He looked for any auras that might be present. He didn't see any. He looked for possible hidden visual transponder snails. He didn't see any of those either. Neo would have sensed them anyway. His eyes then came to two large doors. They were at least twice Jean Bart's height and were carved with a being that kind of looked like a fairy with an orb hovering over her right hand while her left hand reached out for a dark cave where another fairy looking creature was sticking half out of.

"That's kind of creepy," Neo said, eyeing the illustration. "What do you think it means?"

"I'm not sure, but it kind of looks like this creature here is either trying to force the other one back in the cave or trying to help it out of the cave," Law said.

"Should we knock?" Neo asked.

"I guess so," Law said. "We're not going to get anywhere standing out here."

Neo stepped up to the door with him. She reluctantly had to release his hand for him to grab the rather large silver ring they both assumed was used for knocking on the large door since both doors had one. Despite knowing it was coming, she still jumped when the ring banged against the door. She jumped again and reclaimed Law's hand when the doors seemed to open up under their own power. Once they were open far enough, she noticed a dark red aura floating away from the doors. Her eyes followed the aura to the back side of the room where three people, all with black hair and eyes wearing dark purple robes trimmed with blood red sashes, waited for them in large chairs that reminded her of her own throne back on Luminous. The aura was coming from the man sitting in between two women.

"Please, do come in," the man said.

Feeling Neo freeze in place, Law pulled her through the door and over to the three people waiting for them. He wanted to keep his eyes lock on them but he couldn't help but let them wonder over the room. This room was the same as the hall they walked through but for four doors on his right side. He wondered what was beyond those doors. Was there an ambush waiting for them? He wanted to ask Neo if she sensed anything behind them. His eyes wondered back to his frightened love. He knew she wasn't going to be able to focus on anything else but the three people in front of her for the moment. He wished he knew what was spooking her so much about this place, and himself for that matter. He rubbed circles on her hand in hopes it'll help calm her down. Soon they were standing right in front of the three Council members.

"Welcome, new Summoner and Princess of the Elementals," the man said. "My name is Mohan. This is Morana and Fatin."

"Relax, Princess of the Elementals," Morana said. "There's no reason for you to be so tense."

"Well, at least the new Summoner isn't as tense as she is," Fatin said.

Law frowned at the lust showing in Fatin's eyes as they roamed hungrily over his body. He really didn't need another Bao to deal with while they were here.

"Fatin, please pull your eyes back into their sockets," Morana said. "Why must you always try and seduce every man you see?"  
"I do not try and seduce _every_ man I see," Fatin said. She trailed a finger over her lips, down her chin and neck to her half exposed breasts. "Only the hot ones. And he is indeed hot."

A sharp clap of thunder suddenly released inside of the room. Neo's eyebrows narrowed right at the woman flirting with her husband. She tightened her hold on Law as tightly as she could. "Do not _ever_ attempt to touch him. He belongs to _me_. He is _my_ husband."

"Oh, well, excuse me, Princess of the Elementals," Fatin said, a smile pulling across her face. "I did not realize you two were married. I give you my sincerest apologies. I shall not attempt to flirt with him again."

Neo didn't believe her at all. She knew that Elek had been here to see them. Surely he would have mentioned that they were married. But mostly it was the smile the woman wore on her face. She's seen that look before on other women who tried several times to get between her and Law. It never worked though. Law would always put a stop to it as soon as he could, most of the time using his powers to do so. And sometimes she would also use her own crystals to put a stop to it. And she knew Law never would cheat on her. He wasn't the type and loved her far too much. She slowly released her storm, tightened her hold on Law, and looked the woman right in the eye. Standing as tall as she could, she said, "You will do well to remember who I am. If you do not hold to your word and flirt with him again I'll turn every single Elemental on this island against you. And if that doesn't work I'll summon my godfather and his crew here to dethrone you."

"Oh?" Fatin's smile remained on her red painted lips. She crossed her right leg over her left, purposefully revealing her skin all the way up to her thigh through her dark robe. "And who is your godfather?"

"Red Haired Shanks," Neo said, earning surprised gasps from all three Council members. She felt the corner of her lips threatening to twist into a smile. Fatin's own smile vanished and she uncrossed her legs. Focused on Fatin, she didn't notice the concern flashing through the other two's eyes, but Law easily caught it and her unusual overly possessive nature towards him. But it was natural for her to become more possessive towards him since she was pregnant with their child. She relaxed more when Law gave her hand a comforting squeeze.

"You can't be serious," Morana said.

"One of the Four Emperors is your godfather?" Mohan said. "I serious thought that was just a misprint in the newspapers."

"Well, it's true," Neo said. "So you all better be on your best behavior."

"What did you want to see us for?" Law asked, when the Council appeared too stunned, and oddly disappointed, in learning the facts of Neo's relationship with the Emperor.

"Well," Mohan cleared his throat, "we just mostly wanted to meet you two. We like to meet all of the new Summoners at least once. It's just our way of welcoming them to Zion. But we also have a special interest in you two because of what happened yesterday. I'm sure Elek has spoken to you about this already as he and Bao seem rather fond of you two and your pirate crews."

"He did speak with us," Law said. "And we're not exactly happy to be turned into your little guinea pigs."

"We can understand that," Mohan said, lacing his fingers together over his lap. "But we are very concerned about this. It has never happened in all of our Summoners' history. The orb the Elemental is wearing should have prevented any aura from entering her body. We are concerned that it might hurt people if you lose control."

"I won't lose control," Law said.

"All we want to do is monitor you during your training," Mohan said. "We want to see if your wife here is capable of using your aura beyond the point of turning into your animal guardian."

"Neo can't handle being touched by people she doesn't know," Law said.

"And what if this happens again with another Summoner's aura?" Morana asked.

Law turned his eyes to her. Instantly, he could see the smug look in her eyes. He could tell she was thinking that she had cornered him by trying to use Neo against him. He smirked. "That's not going to happen."

"And what makes you so sure?" Morana asked, her smirk only half fading.

' _Law, are you going to tell them about our bond?'_ Neo glanced at Law from the corner of her eyes.

' _I don't think we have much choice. I'm not going to tell them everything though. I'm sure they've heard about Elemental royals bond process before though.'_

' _It makes sense since Elementals are living here.'_

' _You okay with it?'_

' _Not really, but go ahead.'_

"It won't happen because we are bonded," Law said.

The three gasped.

"Bonded?" Fatin asked.

"If I remember correctly, the Elemental royals do have the ability to bond with someone," Mohan said. "And the news article mentioned that as well. But I thought that it was only within their people."

"Their bonds are supposedly very strong," Morana said. "Strong enough to the point of feeling each other's pain. If these two really are bonded then perhaps the Summoner power some how was able to bypass the orb's power."

"That is a possibility," Mohan said. "Still we must do some tests."

"Fine," Law said. "But _no one_ is to put their hands on Neo at all. And if any tests are to be preformed on her that require her to be touched then Healer Chase is the one who's going to do them."

"I believe that request will be just fine," Mohan said.

"Then is that all?" Law asked.

"Yes, I do believe that will be all," Mohan said. "You two are free to leave and enjoy the welcoming festivities the Elementals are throwing for you."

"You're not going to it?" Neo asked. "Everyone is invited."

"We might make an appearance if we feel like it later," Morana said. "Until we see each other again, farewell."

"I will be coming to the festivities," Fatin said, her eyes smiling with lust for Law's body once again. "I hope to see you there."

"And I'm sure my godfather will love to meet you," Neo growled.

"I was saying that to both of you," Fatin said, her eyes growing concern. "I didn't mean any harm."

"Sure you didn't," Neo grumbled to herself before Law spun her around and led her to the doors before she could summon another storm again. The still opened doors immediately closed behind them given them both some relief from being away from those three. She continued to grumble as they hurried away from the door. "I do not like them, especially _her_."

"They're not exactly on the top of my favorite list either," Law said. "It felt like they were hiding something. Despite that you know I won't give that woman the time of day."

"I know," Neo said. "But she's still going to try. And I hated the way she was looking at you."

"Just remember she can _only look_ ," Law said. "You are the _only_ woman who can _touch_. Besides they clearly didn't like that you're closely related to Red Haired."

"Yeah," Neo said, feeling a little better. She narrowed her eyebrows at him anyway. "But if you don't warp her away from you the second she starts flirting with you I _will_ order as many Elementals as I can to guard you ever second that I'm away from you during your training."

"Yes, love." Law chuckled. He had no doubt that she would do that if she didn't stick to him like glue. About halfway down the hall, he formed his Room and warped them outside. He really didn't want to stay in this strange building any longer than they had to and he knew she didn't want to either. Plus, he wanted to get her warmed up. He didn't like how cold she was feeling.

"Now this feels great!" Neo, still refusing to release her hold on Law, tilted her face up towards the warm sun that now washed over her cold body. "It feels so nice out here!"

"That didn't take long," Nami said.

"Neo!" Penguin shouted, leading the group over to her and Law. "Are you all right? What happened in there? You look a bit shaken."

"I'm fine," Neo said. "That building just felt really weird. And I don't trust those three at all. Be careful when they're around. That's an order to all of you."

"We will," Penguin said, answering for them all.

"And, Sanji," Neo said, looking right at him.

"Yes?" Sanji asked. "What is it?"

"Fatin is very pretty, but she's snake," Neo said. "Don't you dare flirt with her."

"Huh?" Sanji blinked, carefully taking in the worried look in Neo's eyes. He knew she was serious. "All right, Neo. I'll be careful around her."

"Yeah, right," Zoro said.

"Shut up!" Sanji snapped. "Neo doesn't feel right about them! So I'll do as she asked!"

"Until you see the woman," Zoro said, smirking. "Then you'll turn into the moron you really are."

"Just shut up!" Sanji said.

"So what were their animals?" Luffy asked. "Are they something really cool? Like a giant sea king?"

"Can they even be sea kings?" Bepo asked.

"I don't know," Shachi said. "We're going to have to do some research on that."

"You know, I was too upset to even notice what they were," Neo said. "Sorry."

"That's fine," Luffy said. "I'll just ask Elek or Bao when we see them."

"Are they going to be any trouble for us if you're that worried about them?" Brook asked.

"I'm not sure," Law said. "Despite their calm outward appearances I get the feeling they have a tight hold over this island."

"It didn't seem like that when we were walking around town," Franky said. He ran his eyes over the happy townspeople. They looked just as normal as any other island we've been to. But then the people at Dressrosa also appeared very happy and a terrible darkness was actually looming over them. "But then looks can be deceiving as we found out at Dressrosa."

"I'm sure everything will be just fine. Doflamingo was a jerk from the beginning and he tricked the people there," Usopp said. "This place is just like any other. Only they use Summoner powers. We're only getting use to this place. I'm sure we'll all be more comfortable once we get to know more about this place. And the Council is probably just on edge with everything that's happening. I'm sure it'll all calm down and everything will be fine."

"That could be possible," Robin said.

"We really shouldn't judge this place so quickly either," Nami said. "We just got here after all."

"It'll be fine!" Luffy said, grinning. "Let's just go and enjoy the party! I smell meat!"

"Sounds fun," Chopper said. "Are you ready to go, Neo?"

"Uh," Neo said.

"What's wrong?" Chopper asked.

"Nothing," Neo said. "I just feel like wearing one of my Luminous dresses all of a sudden. I don't know why though."

"It's probably just your royal heritage coming out," Law said. "After all it's your people who's throwing this party. You did get use to wearing dresses back on Luminous too."

"So should I change then?" Neo asked. She looked at Law with her eyebrows kneaded.

"If you want," Law said. "It's your choice. And I've always told you to trust your instincts."

"Then I should change," Neo said. She looked out at their crews. "Why don't you all go ahead and join the party? We'll be there in a few minutes."

"All right," Topaz said as everyone else agreed to. "I'll let them know you'll be there in a few minutes after you freshen up."

"Thanks, Topaz." Neo watched her crews walk off before wrapping her winds around herself and Law. Within just a few seconds they landed on the deck of the sub. Law formed his Room for them and they entered through Shambles. Neo smiled upon behind back in their home. She ran her eyes over the familiar walls as they walked to their room. "It feels like we haven't been here in years."

"It's barely been one full day," Law said with a light chuckle.

"I know," Neo said. She placed her hand on the wall and felt the warm steel beneath her fingers. "It still feels like years."

"You're just very attached to this place," Law said. "So it's just normal you feel this way."

"That is so true," Neo said upon reaching their room. Once inside she went right over to the closet and opened it. Running her fingers over the fine, silky fabric of her white dresses she wondered which one she should wear. She decided on the one that hugged her chest. It flowed more loosely over her stomach. She pulled off Law's hoodie and placed it inside of the closet. Next she removed her shorts. While putting them inside with the hoodie, she felt Law moving closer to her before his lips found their way to her bare shoulder. Her body tingled upon feeling his desire to take her deep into euphoria. She hummed in pleasure when his hands trailed up her sides and his mouth worked her neck. "Do we have time for this?"  
"We always have time for this," Law said. "Besides, you're the one who's stripping in front of me."

"I was not, ah, ah, stripping in front of you." Neo arched her back when he sucked on her tender spot as his hands worked her slightly tender breasts. "I only removed our hoodie and shorts."

"Close enough," Law whispered seductively in her ear. "Now for the rest." His hands moved back to her underwear. Hooking his thumbs into her strings, he pulled them down as far as his arms would let them without removing his lips from her skin. They fell to the floor on their own and she kicked them aside. "You're such a good girl."

"I am." Neo turned to face him. Her hands swiftly undid his pants and freed him. She then slid her arms around his neck while he slipped his hands around her thighs and lifted her up. "Mmm."

Law pressed her back against the closet door with a gentle thrust. He tangled his tongue with hers while her hands tangled in his hair from her pushing off his hat. When she giggled he asked, "What's so funny?"  
"It's just," Neo said through their kisses. "It's a really good thing the crew's not here right now."

He bucked against her. "Why's that?"

"We left the door open," Neo said.

"Stop talking," Law ordered though he was smiling at her words. He was glad they weren't here. He didn't feel like walking over to the door to close it.

…

Neo pulled her hair out from her dress then claimed Law's hand in her own. They exited the sub and immediately took to the air to finally join the party that was awaiting them. There was a soft sound of music in the distance that grew louder and louder the closer they got to it. She wondered if Brook and their own musicians were joining in that fun. She figured they were. Both crews had the ability to make friends rather fast. And sure enough she got her conformation when they finally got close enough to the party. Their musicians were playing with the band that was stationed on a platform near the fountain. Just as they landed, the Elementals clapped at their princess's arrival. Shyly, Neo summoned her wings and curtsied for them. "Thank you all for the warm welcome and for the party. Please, enjoy the festivities."

She breathed a sigh of relief when the crowd didn't immediately rush up to her. She had a moment to scan the crowd to locate each and every one of their crew and friends while adjusting to the large group of people. A lot of them were dancing, some were sitting or standing around talking, Sanji was of course flirting with pretty women, a few Elementals and Summoners were still moving bits and pieces of the storm debris out of the way, and Zoro was talking to a Summoner and Elek. She assumed the unfamiliar man Zoro was talking with to be the Summoner Elek mentioned before. Just then several Elementals came up to give Neo small gifts to which Topaz stepped up to handle placing them in boxes she clearly had before hand. "Topaz, you are amazing."

"Remember I worked in the castle," Topaz said with a wink. "And I'm more familiar with our customs than you are so I saw this coming."

"You're still amazing," Neo said, hugging her sister. "And I love you so much for doing everything that you do. I don't know what I would do if you weren't here to help me deal with our people when we see them."

"Don't worry about it," Topaz said, hugging her back. "You know I love you and I'm here to help."

"Yeah." Neo pulled back and nodded. "But don't spend all your time taking care of me. You're not my servant. You're my sister. You should enjoy the party as well."

"I will. Don't worry." Topaz nodded. "Some other Elementals offered to help gather up the gifts people are going to give you." She lowered her voice and stepped closer to Neo. "Some of the crew and I will go through the gifts later. We'll pick out the usual and donate to the local orphanages."

"Thank you," Neo said. "You all really are amazing."

"Neo! Law!" Chopper waved to his friends. "Come sit with us!"

"You go on," Topaz said.

"We'll see you later then," Neo said.

"What took you two so long?" Chopper asked when she and Law finally reached them.

"Nothing," Law said, keeping his face emotion free like he always did in situations like this. "We were just taking our time and enjoying the sights."

"I was also taking my time in getting dressed," Neo said, her cheeks dusting with a light pink. She shot a glare at Shachi and Penguin when they snickered. She knew that they knew the real reason they were late for the party. "You two keep quiet!"

"Yes, _Captain_." They snickered sheepishly.

Nami and Robin exchanged smiles and snickers of their own upon figuring it all out themselves.

"What's so funny?" Chopper asked.

"It's nothing, Chopper," Neo said. "So how's the party going?"  
"It's great," Chopper said. "A lot of people seems so friendly here."

"They have some amazing food here too!" Luffy said through a huge bite of meat. "You've got to try it!"

"They also have some seats set up for you and the captain," Bepo said.

"Great," Neo said. She frowned when she easily spotted the chairs he was talking about. They were placed upon a small stage and had purple cushions on the seat and back with a canopy over head to block the sun. "More thrones."

"You know you don't have to sit on them," Law said. "You didn't even really sit on your throne back on Luminous much."

"Well, that's true," Neo said. "And with all the Elementals that are here I probably won't be doing much sitting anyway."

"Oh, you will be doing some sitting," Law said. "I do not want you on your feet all day long. You are going to rest."

"Yes, my worried little _captain_ lover," Neo said.

"You're cute, but drop the sass." Law smirked.

"What sass?" Neo blinked innocently. "I never get sassy with you."

Law chuckled and ran his fingers through her hair.

"So what would you like to do first?" Penguin asked.

"Get something to eat," Neo said. "The food smells so good. It's making me and baby hungry."

"I should have known," Penguin said.

The two Heart captains stood up and wondered over to the feast that was laid out on multiple tables. Neo ran her hungry eyes over all of the food before deciding what she wanted. She ended up getting a little bit of several different dishes to try. They then walked back over to their friends and sat down with them.

"Wow! This food really is good!" Neo said after testing everything on her plate.

"It is," Robin agreed with a nod.

"I bet Sanji has already gotten several recipes from people," Nami said. She looked over at the blonde cook. He was once again fawning over a beautiful woman. "That is if he's even noticed the food."

"He does seem rather distracted," Neo said. She rescanned her eyes over the crowd for Fatin. The woman had said she was going to stop by. She wished she had been more focused when meeting the Council. She could easily sense Fatin's guardian to figure out where she was. Or at least attempt it. There were Summoners with the same guardian after all here at the party. Finding Fatin might not be as easy as she thought. The woman could be here and she'd never know it until she saw her. Her eyes then landed back on Sanji. Jealousy started settling into her stomach from watching him flirt with others women. "Stupid hormones. I do not like this one bit. Hey! Sanji!"

"Yes, Neo, my darling little fairy! I'm coming!" Sanji spun over to her. "What may I do for you?"

"Sit with me and stop flirting," Neo said, clearly annoyed.

"Feeling a bit jealous, huh?" Sanji inquired.

"A bit," Neo admitted. "I'm sorry. My pregnancy took over just now. You know you don't have to stay here."

"I will be more than happy to sit with you until you're more comfortable in your surroundings. I don't want to upset you in any kind of way," Sanji said, sitting down in a chair. "And if I may say, you look absolutely beautiful in that dress! You are by far one of the most beautiful women in the world!"

"Thank you, Sanji," Neo said, smiling.

Law growled at the blonde man and placed his hand on Neo's knee in a possessive way.

"Looks like Neo isn't the only one who's jealous. But I do have to wonder if it's Tra's own feelings or if Neo's passing it to him," Nami said, earning chuckles from the group.

"I think it's cute," Chopper said.

"Yeah, cute," Luffy said around his mouthful of food.

"I think it's a little of both. Tra will always be jealous when it comes to people flirting with Neo no matter if they're friend or foe," Robin said.

"And even if they have Law's permission to flirt with her," Chopper added.

"At least he's really cute when he gets jealous like that," Neo said. She couldn't help but poke her finger childishly against his cheek. "Look, he's blushing."

"Eat your food, _little girl_ ," Law said, his cheeks a light pink.

"Aye, _Captain_ ," Neo said before turning her attention back to the food on her plate. She then nibbled on her own plate while also picking off of everyone else's as well. She wanted to try as much stuff as she possibly could since she couldn't decide really what she wanted. "It's all so yummy! I hope I don't get sick later!"

"Maybe you should slow down a bit," Shachi suggested. "We're going to be here for a while still."

"I guess that's true," Neo said wiping barbecue sauce off her fingers instead of licking them clean. Sometimes she cursed her royal heritage ability to take over her mannerisms. Back on the sub and Sunny, she would have licked the yummy flavor off her fingers, if Law didn't beat her to it. But here in front of her people her royal instincts had taken over and she was more of proper lady than a pirate. "I still have to meet a lot of people. I know I'll get hungry with all that walking around. I just hope I finish everything I take."

"We're always here to finish it for you," Penguin said, popping a grape in his mouth. "So don't worry about wasting food."

"He's correct," Sanji said, jerking his thumb towards Luffy who was still shoveling food in like crazy. "And we have the live food disposal with us. He'll gladly finish anything for you."

"He sure will." Neo turned her eyes to the rubber captain. He was already round from all the food he was eating and some of the local kids, even adults, were now pulling on his rubbery skin. "He's so carefree. I really don't see how he can handle having so many people touch him like that. That would seriously freak me out."

"He does that because he is so carefree," Sanji said. "He just doesn't care."

Just then a group of Elementals wondered over to them. They all whispered to each other while inspecting their princess.

"And here we go now," Neo mumbled.

Law squeezed her knee, a simple reminder that she was safe and wasn't going to get cornered or touched. Topaz, after all, had been hard at work spreading the word about how Neo couldn't be touched or cornered. He was suddenly very glad this party was outside. Neo could easily fly up and away from everyone and he also had the option of warping her away.

"Hello, Princess," a water Elemental said. "Welcome to Zion."

"We hope that your stay here will be a pleasant one," a fire Elemental said.

"If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask us," a wind Elemental said. "We are here to serve you. How are you doing so far?"

"That's very sweet of you all," Neo said, her royal tone appearing once again. "We are doing just fine. I'm still adjusting to all the new things and people here, but it seems like a nice enough island to stay on."

"Oh, it is, Princess," the wind Elemental said with several nods. "I assure you, you will love it here."

"Please excuse us now," the fire Elemental said. "We just wanted to pay our respects. Sorry for interrupting your meal."

"It's fine," Neo said. "It was nice to see all of you. I hope we meet again."

"Oh, yes, Princess. We would love that."

"That would be very nice."

"Yes, that would be nice. Have a good day, Princess."

"You all have a nice day as well," Neo said. She watched as they walked off then turned back to her family. They were all starting at her with smiles on their faces. "What?"

"You're always so nervous about being there leader, but when you start speaking with them your royal nature just comes right out," Sanji said. "You're a natural at this. I bet you would have made a great ruler back on Luminous."

"Maybe," Neo said. "But I love it right were I am. I can't even imagine living on Luminous at all. I love you all to much to even think about that."

"And we all love you too!" They said before they settled back into eating their meal. It wasn't much longer before Neo and Law were wondering through the large group of people. They were meeting Elemental after Elemental, all of them asking so many questions. So many that Law had to answer half of them half of the time. Some even asked for Neo to show them the solar crystal. She did of course, but everything couple with her pregnancy was starting to wear her down. That's when Law guided her to a quieter corner of the party. She sat down on the chair with a tired sigh. "I knew I would be meeting a lot of people, but I feel like I've met just about everyone here. I'm so exhausted. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to stay awake for much longer."

"If you need to sleep, I'll take you back to the apartment or even the sub," Law said. "You know you and our baby's health is far more important than meeting everyone here. You can meet people on other days since we're going to be here for a while."

"I might have to," Neo said. "But for now I think all I need to do is just sit here and relax for a while. Maybe even take a quick nap."

"Then do that," Law said, sitting down beside her. "I won't let anyone bother you while you sleep."

"Mhmm." Neo leaned her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and started to fall asleep instantly.

Law press a kiss to her hair then stayed on his guard while she slept. He carefully eyed everyone that walked by them or near them. He tensed up when it looked like someone was going to stop and try and wake Neo up, but they all just smiled and moved on. He really loved the Elementals loyalty and respect to their princess at the moment. Then one of the last people he wanted to see walking through the crowd was Fatin. He tensed when her dark eyes landed on him with a smile. He clenched his sword tightly when she walked over to them.

"Well, hello there," Fatin said, twirling the end of her long braid. "I see the little princess is worn out. But that's to be expected when pregnant."

"How did you know about that?" Law asked, gripping his sword even tighter.

"From the newspaper," Fatin said, shocked. "Didn't you know they revealed that about her as well?"

Law mentally cursed himself. How could he possibly have forgotten about that? And come to think of it, why hadn't Elek and Bao mentioned it? Maybe they didn't read newspapers? That was a possibility. They have been after all dealing with people being forced into becoming Summoners. They might not have had much time to read newspapers and just seen their bounty posters pinned up on walls. Or did they mention something about that before? He couldn't recall at the moment. He still felt like his mind wasn't clear from his transformation yesterday. He was going to have to check with the crew about this later. "Yes, I know that."

"It must have just slipped your mind then," Fatin said. "After all, you all are under quite a lot of pressure right now." She crossed her arms up underneath her chest, purposefully pushing her exposed breasts up even higher. "After everything your two crews did in Dressrosa, with the princess being pregnant, and now with all this Summoner's business. You must be worn out."

"We're fine," Law said. He let his hat drop over his eyes. He didn't want to look at her at all. "Now leave. I don't want you to wake up Neo."

"Very well," Fatin said, walking away from the pirates. "We'll have plenty of time to talk when she's awake."

Law shivered. Something about that woman really did remind him of a snake. He wondered if that was her guardian. It wouldn't surprise him one bit if she was one. Just then a couple Elementals walked by. He called to them. "Excuse me."

"Yes?" one asked. "Did you need something?"

"I was just curious," Law said. "What are the guardians of the Council?"

"All three of them are serpents," he said. "Technically, the Orelove's Viper."

"Orelove's Viper?" Law's eyebrows shot up. That was one of the deadliest snakes in the New World. Was it just a coincident that all three of these Council members had the same guardian? "Is it common for so many to have the same rare guardian?"

"I believe it is," he said. "A lot of Summoners have the same guardian."

"But they're all more common animals," another Elemental said. She looked at Law. "I'm not sure how often rare species show up here. We don't really study that kind of thing. But you can find all of that information in the library. We have to go now. It was nice to meet you and the princess even thought she's a sleep."

"Thanks," Law said as they walked off. He really wished he had time to run to the library right now. He wanted to get as much information on this place as he possibly could. But he knew he was going to have to leave that up to Neo and the others. He turned his eyes back down to her. She was still sleeping peacefully despite the unwanted company that had just visited them.

A little while later, Neo stretched out a bit as she woke up. She opened her eyes and looked right at Law. She said, "Hey. Did I miss anything?"

"Nothing important," Law said. "I did find out that the Council members all have Orelove's Vipers as their guardians."

"They're all vipers?" Neo mumbled. "I never would have guessed that. But then I wasn't really wasn't focusing either. Are those snakes rare?"

"They are." Law nodded. "But the Elementals that I asked about that didn't know if the rareness of the creature in the world had anything to do with the commonness or rareness of the guardians. They suggested looking in the library."

"Library," Neo said, tasting the word with childlike joy. "I can't wait to see that place. I hope it's huge."

"I'm sure you'll get there within a week," Law said. "I want you to look into the history of this island."

"For anything specific?" Neo asked.

"For anything you might find helpful or interesting or even suspicious," Law said. "I'm sure Nico will be with you but be sure to take a few others so you all can thoroughly go over the books."

"Sure." Neo nodded. "We'll take notes as well."

"Good girl." Law kissed her forehead. "Are you ready to start mingling again? I think the Elementals are anxiously awaiting for you to wake up."

"If I must." Neo sighed.

"You only have to do what you want to," Law reminded her.

"Hm." Neo hummed and thought about their short but intense intimacy round they had on the sub.

"We'll do that again later," Law said, reading her mind easily.

"Rats," Neo said. "I hoping we'd do it now. You said I could do whatever I wanted."

"I know," Law said. "But they might come looking for us if we skip out."

"So true," Neo said. "Or at least Luffy would come looking for us. That'll kill the mood really easily." She sighed. "Might as well continue making the rounds and get the meetings over with now."

Law nodded. Taking her hand, they stood up together and resumed talking to the people at the party. During their socialization, Neo spotted an unusual flash of white hair coming through the crowd.

"Huh?" Neo's eyes locked onto the white haired girl with matching bat ears sticking out of her hair. The girl's hair reminded her of Robin's former bounty poster of when she was a kid. Only this girl's hair was cut shorter in the back while the hair in front of her ears barely touched her shoulders. And she was walking through the party with her head held low and a small brown bag hugged to the chest of her simple tan colored dress.

"Hey, it's the White Bat!" a boy called out.

"So she finally came out of her cave," another boy said.

Neo narrowed her eyebrows when the two boys walked up to the girl. Her heart and mind raced with memories of being cornered. She wondered if these boys were going to hurt the girl. If these boys were Elementals she could just order them to leave the girl alone, but they weren't. Since they were so young they might not have listened to her anyway.

"So what's in the bag?" the first boy asked as he reached for it.

"No! Leave it alone!" The girl jerked away from the boy's hand.

"What's the matter with you?" the first boy asked. "I was just curious."

"Don't waste your time on her," the second boy said. "She's nothing but a freak."

"No!" Neo snapped, flicking her wings in anger. She marched over to the boys, bringing several eyes to her outburst. "Don't you dare call her that! She's not a freak! She's just a little different from you! It's nothing to make fun of!"

"What are you talking about?" the second boy said. "She is a freak. Don't you see those bat ears? She's always in her guardian animal form. She's the only one who's ever done that."

"Plus she never uses her powers," the other boy said.

 _'Easy, love.'_ Law thought to her while heading in her direction. _'They're only children. And they're not going to hurt her.'_

Neo drew in a deep breath. He was right. She might have over reached a tiny bit. She exhaled, letting her emotions calm down before she spoke to the boys again. Once she felt herself back to normal, she said, "Listen, I apologize for snapping at you like that. It's just that being different doesn't make her a freak. It only makes her unique. I'm sure she has her reasons for not using her powers like everyone else. I would really appreciate it if you two wouldn't pick on her like that. It's not nice. No one wants to be picked on."

"And how would you know?" the second boy said. "You don't live here."

"You're correct." Neo bent down to the boys' level. "But I do know what it's like to be picked on. I was treated badly growing up because I was different." She flicked her wings for the boys. "And it hurt that so many were picking on me to the point I tried to kill myself several times. So, please, don't do it anymore."

"You're not our mother!" the boys scoffed.

"No, I'm not your mother," Neo said. She summoned an earth crystal and wrapped the two boys up in a couple vines. They screamed as she lifted them into the air. "And despite the fact that you two are still kids, I won't tolerant you picking on her anymore. Now, you two will behave yourselves and leave her alone. Do you understand me?"

"Remember, we're pirates," Law said, looking down at the kids with the most scary look he could manage. "And I'm not as nice as she is."

"Fine! We'll leave her alone!" the kids said, their faces as blue as can be.

Neo lowered them back down to the ground. Once they were free of her hold they bolted away from the pirates. She then shook her head at Law. "That really wasn't necessary."

"It was," Law said. "They weren't going to listen to you. Kids can be stubborn in that way. Sometimes a good scare is what's needed to set them straight. You'll learn more later on when ours is born."

"Maybe you're correct," Neo said. She then turned her attention to the girl. The girl, for whatever reason was staring back at her in shock. She smiled warmly at her. "Are you okay?"

"Leave me alone!" she snapped then ran off.

"Huh?" Neo watched in confusion as the girl weaved through the crowd of people. "What was that about?"

"I don't know," Law said.

"Don't take it personally, Princess."

Neo and Law turned to find the twins, Aura and Era, walking over to them. Neo asked, "Do you know that girl?"

"Yes, we do. She's not very nice to anyone," Era said.

"Yeah, she really is a little freak," Aura said.

"Don't call her that!" Neo snapped. "I won't tolerate it anymore! She's not a freak just because she's different!"

"I'm sorry, Princess," Aura said, her eyes wide. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Neo pinched the bridge of her nose. _Stupid hormones._ "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. It's just that…" She paused to watch the white haired girl disappear into the crowd. "It's just that I know what it's like to be called a freak. It brought back some bad memories. I just don't like seeing others being treated the way I was."

"The way you were?" Era asked.

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "I didn't grow up on Luminous at all or around any of the Elementals. Because I was different everyone I met treated me very badly. That is, until Law found me and took me in. It was over a year later when I finally learned who I really was."

"I'm sorry, Princess," Aura said, her eyes soft with regret and apologies. "I didn't know about that."

"It's fine. I guess you two haven't been around enough to hear Topaz talking about that," Neo said. "The word about my past is still making its rounds among the Elementals."

"Depends on where Topaz was," Aura said. "We have a bad habit of not sitting still for every long."

"In fact, we were out flying around before we arrived here just now," Era added.

"But we promise we will be nicer to Luna," they said together.

"Luna?" Neo asked.

"That's the girl's name," Aura said. "She's the only Fourth Level Summoner in the world."

"Oh, yeah. Elek spoke about her before," Neo said. "So that's her then." She looked back in the direction Luna ran off in. She felt for the girl. After all, she used to be in her place too. She wondered if or when she would ever see the girl again. She would really like to talk to her. Maybe she could help her some how? She then turned her attention back to the twins. "Was there something you needed?"  
"Oh, yeah," Era said. "Our grandfather wants to meet you. So we came to find you and escort you to him."

"Very well then," Neo said.

"He's this way," they said.

Neo slipped her hand back into Law's and they followed after the twins. In just a few minutes of weaving in and out of people, they were brought to two other Elementals sitting at a table. One was a water wielder woman and the other a fire wielder old man. They didn't notice them at first as they spoke to one another, but quickly turned their eyes to their approaching princess.

The woman immediately stood up and bowed. She said, "Princess, it is such an honor to met you."

"It's a pleasure to met you as well," Neo said.

"My name is Mesi," Mesi said, pulling up out of her bow. She placed her hand on the old man's shoulder. "And this is my father, Edan."

"Please do forgive me for not bow properly, Princess," Edan said with a low bow of his head. "I'm afraid that if I do a proper bow I will not be able to get back up again."

"Do not worry about that," Neo said. "I really do not like being bowed to since I did not grow up with our people. Actually, I'd prefer it if you all didn't bow to me."

"Yes, I can see how all of that bowing would make one uncomfortable if they didn't grow up with it," Edan said with a smile.

Neo smiled back, feeling completely at ease with these two Elementals.

"Please, Princess," Edan said, gesturing to the two empty seats at the table. "You and your husband should sit down. You must be tired with having to meet so many people with that little one to take care of as well."

"You know I'm pregnant?" Neo asked while Law held her chair for her.

"We do." Edan nodded. "Ever since I learned of you living with the humans, I've been keeping a very close eye on you. I was hoping that you would make an appearance on our island but I didn't think that it would be for Summoner reasons."

"That was a shock to us as well," Law said. His eyes drifted to the twins. He wanted to ask so many questions about them being half human but really wasn't sure how to bring the subject up.

"If you have questions for us, don't hesitate to ask," Mesi said. "Plenty of people have asked about having half human and half Elemental children."

Neo and Law looked a bit shock at her realizing they had questions about her daughters. They exchanged glances before looking back at the Elementals.

"Go ahead," Era said.

"We're use to it," Aura said.

"Though we'll probably take off before you're done so we'll let Mom and Gramps answer them," they said together.

"I don't even really know where to begin," Law said. "I have so many questions to ask."

"Well, let's start at the beginning then," Mesi said. "And that would be the most serious part, childbirth."

Law nodded. "Was there any kind of complications with their births?"

"Boring," the twins said before flying off with their crystals.

"Well, they lasted longer than I thought," Edan said. "Apologizes for their behavior."

"Not at all," Neo said, smiling. "I like that they're not fawning all over me. It's very refreshing."

"You certainly are different from what I've heard about other royals," Edan said.

Neo shrugged. "I get that a lot."

"No, there were no complications at all," Mesi said, bringing them all back on the discussion at hand. "In fact there haven't been any complications at all with the girls. The only difference between them and full blooded Elementals is their immune system is weaker than ours."

"Weaker?" Neo asked, placing her free hand protectively over their baby. "They get sick a lot?"

"No, not a lot," Mesi said. "They just get sick more often than a full blooded Elemental does. You know how strong our systems are, correct?" She paused to let Neo nodded before continuing. "We hardly ever get sick. And we when do it's usually just once a year. Then we can go for years without getting sick or even catching a cold. With the twins they've gotten sick more often. Usually if they get sick it will be once during a single year then they'd get sick once more the following year then go for about two years before getting sick again."

"I think I understand," Neo said. "It's good that there have been no serious affects on having a baby with a human."

"What about diseases and rashes?" Law asked. "Allergies?"

"They haven't appeared to be any more or less susceptible to them than we are," Edan said.

"The twins did get the occasional diaper rashes," Mesi said. "But other than that, no nothing serious leaps to mind. Era did have one bizarre rash come up from a tick bite when she was nine, but the healer easily cleared it up and it hasn't happened since then."

"I see. I'm glad nothing serious developed out of that," Neo said.

"What about their crystals and there element?" Law asked.

"They don't appear to summon as many crystals as pureblooded Elementals," Edan said. "But as you can see from the damage they did with that storm, it doesn't really effect their strength. Some times I feel they're more dangerous than the pureblooded Elementals."

"Father!" Mesi hissed and whacked him on the arm.

"Don't try and pretend they're not dangerous," Edan said.

"They're not _dangerous_ ," Mesi insisted. "They're just lacking in the focusing department."

"That does make them dangerous," Edan said with a smirk.

Mesi huffed and crossed her arms over her chest with red cheeks that Neo couldn't decide if it was caused by the truth or if the woman was just annoyed at her father for calling her children dangerous. Either way, she loved watching the banter between them. It made her think about her own father and how they would be with each other if he were still alive.

"So they don't care much for developing their element?" Law asked.

"It seems that way," Edan said. "Some other half breeds, if you don't mind the name, have also shown that. So it might be a common trait in babies born of both types of parents."

"We'll have to keep that in mind," Law said.

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "Here on an island, where you're out in the open it wouldn't be so bad to not completely focus on your element." She looked at Law. "But we live in a sub and are in so many dangerous situations. Our baby will need to be properly trained in controlling his element."

Law nodded to her in agreement. They were really going to have to make sure they raise their child to correctly use and focus whatever element their baby develops. "If you don't mind me asking, how was your husband's ability in handling such children?"

"He did as well as he could," Mesi said. "I have my troubles with them as well when they started using their crystals. Being a water wielder, I really couldn't do much with their wind. I was all the time asking for help from a friend who is a wind wielder. She didn't mind helping out, but I still feel so guilty about it. It was almost like she was taking care of my kids instead of me."

"You're a fine mother," Edan said. "The girls know that."

Mesi nodded.

"If I may, where is your husband?" Neo asked. "Is he here?"  
"I'm afraid not," Mesi said. "He's deployed right now."

"Deployed?" Neo asked. "He's in the Navy?"  
"Yes." Mesi nodded. "You don't have to be concerned about him though. He's very good friends with the Elementals that live here. So he knows all about you as our royal and from what he's learned about you in the Navy. He wouldn't dare do anything to hurt you or your crew. Besides, he's going to retire next year. He says he's been in the Navy long enough and is getting tired of being away from his family so much. He's been in the Navy for a little over twenty years."

"I see," Neo said. "Well, I hope he has a safe return to you all."

"Thank you, Princess," Mesi said. "That's very sweet of you."

Neo smiled. Their small group then settled into a lot of pleasant talk after that. Both she and Law would ask questions about the twins when something came to their minds. A few hours after that the party was finally ended much to Neo's delight. The happy chatter and music from the people was slowly being replaced with the crickets and owls of the island. And she was starting to feel very exhausted from the day. She just wanted to go back to their apartment and sleep. They said their goodbyes to Mesi, Edan, and the twins as they had returned, before heading off to find their crews. She said, "I'm so tired."

"We're heading back to the apartment as soon as we find the crew," Law said. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his side.

"I hope we find them quickly," Neo said. "I'm about to fall asleep on my feet."

"Hey! We're over here!" Basil called out for them.

"Well, that was fast. Great," Neo said while they wondered over to the two crews waiting for them.

"Hey! Neo!" Luffy said. "Did you have fun?! Wasn't the food just great?!"

"Yes, it was. And it was pleasant enough. But now I'm really tired," Neo said. "Can we go back to the apartment now?"

"Tired, huh?" Basil asked.

"Exhausted." Neo nodded.

"You poor baby," Penguin said before placing a kiss on her cheek. She smiled and linked her arm through his with the desire of wanting him close to her for a while.

"Then let's get you into bed," Robin said. "You've had quite the time these past few days."

"Best thing I've heard all day long," Neo said, wrapping the two crews up in her winds. She flew them all back to their apartments. With quick good nights and hugs to her loved ones, she and Law entered into their temporary room. "Finally. I never thought I'd be so happy to see a bed that wasn't ours."

Law chuckled. Placing his hands on her hips, he pulled her closer to him. "You really are tired, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," Neo said, leaning against him tiredly.

"All right, I won't keep you up any longer. Get your night clothes and get yourself and our baby into bed," Law said.

"Yes, sir," Neo said. "That is one order I will not fight against or sass. I hope tomorrow's not this tiring."

"It might be considering I'm starting my training," Law said.

Neo whimpered. "You didn't have to remind me."

"Sorry." Law pecked her lips. "Hurry up and get into bed."

"Yes, my love." Neo pulled herself away from him then grabbed one of his shirts, her toothbrush, and toothpaste and headed into the bathroom. As quick as she could, she preformed her nightly ritual then exited the small room. She laid down on the bed as Law entered into the bathroom. She really wanted to wait for him to fall asleep but wasn't sure if she was going to be able to. Through her weak attempt to stay away, she finally felt Law lowering himself into the bed. She snuggled against him before lifting her eyes to his. "Night, love."

"Good night, my love," Law said before leaning down to kiss her goodnight.

…

 **Author's Notes: I just noticed, for some odd reason, I don't seem to use Luffy much. I gotta fix that in future chapters. And the OreLove's Viper is based on the real life Orlov's Viper. I added in the E's to change it up a bit so it doesn't feel the real world is trying to take over the One Piece world.**

 **Catirro: Glad you like the animal guardian. And you're correct on the water animals. I'd probably leave it where the DF power is still in affect. But there is the option of having the Summoner's aura nullify the DF power so they can go into water if I wanted. Though I'm not going to put that into the story since it has no point in being there, unless I decide to put that in a book in the library they'll read at some point. If the creature exists in the One Piece world then yes, that creature or animal can be used as a guardian. As for Bepo and Chopper, yes they can be Summoners and they could have an animal the same as them or different. If I gave them Summoner powers I'd probably go with another animal for them. Don't worry about long reviews. I enjoy reading what people have to say and ask. Training for Law starts in the next chapter.**

 **Apple Bloom: Yeah, that Law. Love him.**

 **Guest: If the creature/animal exists in the One Piece world then yes that creature/animal can be a guardian.**


	12. Training Begins

Training Begins

"So what do you think your training is going to be like? Do you think it'll start off hard or easy? Surely it'll be easy. I mean you are just starting out after all. How hard do you think those Summoners are going to be on you?" Neo narrowed her eyebrows and tapped the spatula on her shoulder. She had her wings out and was flicking them erratically as she spoke. "They better not be too hard on you. I won't tolerate them hurting you or working you harder than I think they should be. We have a baby to think about after all. What affects you affects us too. Do you think I'll have to train with you as well? Do you think I have the ability to turn myself into a snow leopard without your help? Do you think we should try it? No, maybe not, but I kind of want to. It would be fun. I just hope you don't hurt anymore. You shouldn't they said so it all should be fine. I really want to see you transform again, but I'm still a bit unsure about it. I'm surprised you have become a snow leopard. Though I do think it kind of fits you well enough. I do wonder why exactly you got a snow leopard but I guess we'll never know for sure. At least it's an animal that I can groom, which I really, really, _really_ want to do at some point. So we need to figure out when I can do that. Probably after you get a little more use to being a snow leopard. Don't you think? I think so."

Law sighed and smiled as he leaned against his the palm of his hand and listened to Neo rattle on. He was sitting outside in the warm morning air with Neo, Basil, and Sanji cooking up breakfast for their crews. Well, Sanji and Basil was cooking, Neo was beating their ears with a lot of talk and a lot of questions. She's been like this since she woke up this morning. She had woken up before he did and started talking immediately and pretty much hasn't stopped since. He blamed a playful mood swing on her behavior, but he wasn't quiet sure if that was true. When she had one of those she acted more like a child wanting to play rather than asking a bunch of questions. He wondered if it was just a different version of a playful mood swing or if it was something else pregnancy related or possibly a bizarre reaction to everything that's been happening with his aura.

"Why do you think you became a snow leopard? Why did we become a snow leopard?" Neo asked. She planted her hands on her hips when he didn't reply, not that she gave him time to reply to anything she said. "Law, are you listening to me?"

"Yes, love," Law said. "I'm listening."

"Then why aren't you answering me?" Neo asked.

"Because you haven't given me a single chance to reply," Law said.

Neo narrowed her eyebrows and crossed her arms in annoyance. The three pirates around her braced for a snappy mood swing. They all relaxed when her annoyance disappeared. She let her arms drop to her sides. She said, "I'm sorry. I have been rather chatty this morning haven't I? Do you think this is part of my pregnancy?"

"I'm not sure," Law said. "I never read about this in the books. It's possible that it could be or it could be a reaction from you transforming with me."

"I wondered why I transformed if this thing was suppose to prevent that from happening," Neo said, touching the orb on her forehead.

"Maybe we'll figure that out once they run whatever tests they are going to on you," Basil said.

Sanji breathed out the smoke from his cigarette. "I'm very uncomfortable with that. I know you said the Council agreed to let Healer Chase conduct the tests and all, but…"

"It'll be okay, Sanji," Neo said. "Healer Chase won't let anyone else touch me." She smiled at Law. "And neither will Law."

"I know. I'm still worried though," Sanji said.

"It always sends a shiver down my spine when you speak like that," Basil said with a sigh. "I better start mentally preparing myself for some battle."

"Do you think we're going to have to fight the Summoners?" Neo asked, clutching her spatula.

"I don't know," Sanji said. "I feel some kind of odd disturbance on this island."

"What kind of disturbance?" Law asked.

"I'm not quite sure yet," Sanji said. "Yesterday while I was mingling around during the party I noticed some people weren't enjoying themselves."

"That's not very odd," Basil said, stirring the sizzling eggs. "Some people just don't like parties."

"I thought that at first too," Sanji said. "But I spoke to them about it. They said a friend of theirs is sick and isn't getting any better."

"Again, that's not very odd," Basil said.

"Maybe," Sanji said, "if it was just one or two people. But according to the people I've spoken to there has been several who have come down with this illness and no one can figure out what the illness is or where it came from. And they all have died from it."

"Have Elementals been getting sick too?" Neo asked with a worry flick of her wings.

"If they are, they didn't say," Sanji said.

"Law?" Neo turned her eyes to him, completely worried about their baby now.

"Relax, love," Law said. "If there was any kind of danger for you and our baby Healer Chase would have told us about it."

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "I still think we should be careful. We need to figure out how this little bug is spreading from person to person."

"If I was thinking about it, I would have asked them that last night," Sanji said.

"Most likely they wouldn't have known anyway," Law said. "If they have no idea what's causing this bug then they probably won't know how it's being spread. It could be the type of bug that doesn't spread from person to person from any kind of contact or through the air. It could be something that develops inside of a person."

"Chopper can look into it while you're training," Basil said.

"Come to think of it," Sanji said, "I believe Chopper is already going to look into a sickness that's here on the island. It's possible that it's the same illness."

"Then have him learn what he can," Law said. "If I have the time, I'll help him go over all of the data."

"So what time are you two heading off to start your training?" Sanji asked.

"Elek should be here about nine o'clock," Neo said. Reaching over, she snatched a piece of hot bacon from the plate Sanji was filling them with. She munched on it while she continued to speak. "He's going to take us over to the training ground. Or the training ground we're going to be using. Apparently there's actually several. I guess that makes sense since there are different people of different ages training to be Summoners. You can't have a beginning trainee with advanced classmates. It would be like murder or something. I wonder if Law will train with others other than those four the Council want him to train with."

"Is he staying with you two?" Basil asked.

"I think so," Neo said, looking back at Law.

"He'll stay at least for this first session," Law said.

"So why isn't he and Bao training you?" Basil said. "I really thought that they would considering we're, sort of, friends with them now."

"Apparently, the Council is dead set on those other four training me," Law said.

"Are they stronger than Bao and Elek?" Sanji asked.

"I'm not really sure," Law said. "You all heard what Elek said yesterday. The Council thinks they're too close to us."

"That doesn't make any sense," Sanji said. "You'd think they'd want someone training you that you trust, but maybe not. We don't know how things work here yet. And the Council seems to have a strict control over the island or at least the Summoners. I doubt they have total control over the Elementals, especially with Neo here."

"Well, whatever their reason is, they better not harm my love or anyone else from my family," Neo said. She narrowed her eyebrows and started pacing around. "If they do, so help me, I will unleash an entire storm on this island. And then I'll turn my crews and the Elementals on them. And then I'll call for my godfather. And turn his crew on them."

"Someone's sounding rather hostile this morning," Topaz said. The pirates, but for Neo, looked up to see Topaz descending down the stairs of their apartment tree.

"I mean it," Neo continued. "I won't tolerate them hurting us one single bit. And if I think they're doing something completely and totally unnecessary, I will be putting an immediate stop to it."

"You all know I love Neo as much as you all do," Basil said. "But someone, _please_ , make her stop. No way this can be good for her blood pressure and the baby."

"What's going on?" Topaz asked.

"Neo's been pretty much talking nonstop all morning," Law replied.

"That's not like her," Topaz said.

"Tell us about it," Basil said, jerking his thumb at Neo as she continued to rant and pace. "Captain, not meaning to tell you what to do, but please order her to stop talking, or at least to stop pacing around like that. I'm getting tired just watching her."

"Does this have something to do with her pregnancy?" Sanji asked.

"Not that I've ever heard of," Topaz replied.

"Maybe I should have some Elementals around to keep an eye on you," Neo said. She paused momentarily. Tapping her bare toes on the ground while rubbing her chin with her spatula free hand for a moment before starting to pace again. "At least that way I won't be completely focused on you through our bond."

Law hummed to himself. Basil did have a point. This really wasn't the best thing for Neo to be doing right now. He said," Neo, I order you to come over here and make out with me."

"And what exactly do they-Okay!" Neo spun on her heels and walked over to him immediately. Tossing the spatula to Sanji, she sat down on Law's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck while placing her lips on his.

"I've been with this crew for well over a year now," Basil said, hanging his shoulders. "And I'm still not use to the way their relationship is."

Sanji chuckled. "Even if they weren't bonded I still think they'd act like this."

"I have to agree with that," Topaz said. "They are definitely a one of a kind couple."

"Sanji! I want meat!" Luffy then screamed while he descended from the tree by stretching out from his porch. Two seconds later, he was on the ground with them. He looked right at Neo and Law, blinked, and then smiled. "They're kissing again. Good morning, Neo and Tra."

"Morning, Luffy and Topaz," Neo said quickly when she pulled back for air before going right back to Law's lips.

"I'm surprised she even noticed they were here," Sanji said. "Hey, Neo, remember that you two still have to breath. So come up for air once in a while and for more than two seconds."

Neo didn't reply. Law didn't either.

"Geez," Shachi said as he and several others started walking over to them. "Maybe you two should go back to your room?"

"I don't think they heard you," Penguin said.

"Ah," Bepo said. "So cute."

"Pathetic," Tero grumbled.

"Well, at least she's more relaxed this way," Robin said.

"Robin, my sweet!" Sanji chirped happily. "When did you get here?!"

"Just now," Robin said. "Breakfast smells really good this morning. Is it ready yet?"

"Almost," Basil replied while Sanji continued his happy dance. "We got a bit distracted by Neo."

"How so?" Robin inquired.

"She's been very talkative this morning," Basil replied. "And somewhat hostile towards anyone who might hurt the captain in his training."

"I see," Robin said. "That's really not like her at all to be so talkative. But she is always protective of us so the aggression doesn't come as a surprise."

"It might have something to do with their transformation and their bond," Topaz said.

"Is it something we should be concerned about?" Penguin asked.

"I don't believe so," Topaz said. "We'll just keep an eye on it. If it continues or she shows signs of other issues that's never happened before, we'll take her to Healer Chase for a check up."

"That's good," Bepo said. "Neo should carry around a transponder snail since the healer gave us his number."

"We all should probably carrying one when we're with her," Topaz said. "Just in case."

They all nodded in agreement.

"All right!" Sanji called out just as the rest of the crews gathered around for breakfast. "It's breakfast time!"

"So what are you all going to do today?" Neo asked, once she and Law finally pulled themselves away from each other and started eating breakfast.

"I'd like to go with you and Law if that's okay," Chopper said.

"I don't mind at all," Neo said. "And neither will anyone else. I won't allow them to keep any of you away from Law and me."

"We're going too," Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo said.

"Of course you are." Neo smiled.

"Hey! I'm coming too!" Luffy said. "I want to see Tra transform again!"

"Me too!" Neo said with a bell filled giggle.

"Children," Tero grumbled.

"You love us," Neo said before sticking out her tongue at him.

"Franky and I are going to put up the patio out here for when it rains," Usopp said. "After that we're going to head into town and see if they need any help repairing any damage done from the twins' storm."

"From there we might wonder over to the ship yard and see what's going on there," Franky said.

"We'll tag along with you if you don't mind," Jean Bart said for himself and about seven other Heart Pirates.

"Sure," Franky said. "It'll be super great to hang out with you all."

"We're going to go check out some of the shops," Nami said, referring to herself and Robin.

"If we fine something we think you'll like we'll go back later with you," Robin said.

"That sounds like so much fun," Neo said. "And I definitely want to check out the library with you at some point."

"Of course." Robin nodded.

"I'll go with you when you go," Sanji said. "I'd like to check out this place's history as well."

"All right!" Neo cheered. "It's a party!"

Everyone laughed at their strangely acting princess.

"What about the rest of you?" Neo then asked.

"I found they have some very lovely music here," Brook said. "I'm going to spend a lot of my time learning some of the locate songs."  
"Oh, I'll want to come listen to you at some point," Neo said.

"It would be my pleasure to have you," Brook said with a bow.

"What about you, Zoro?" Neo asked. "Didn't Elek introduce you to the Elemental swordsman? I saw you with another Summoner yesterday."

"He did," Zoro said through his mouthful of food. "We're starting our first sparring session after breakfast."

"I see," Neo said. "Well, have fun and good luck. I can't wait to hear how things go."

Zoro nodded.

…

"Now, you all behave yourselves," Neo said once they all were ready to part ways for a while. "I mean it. I don't want to hear that any of you have gotten into trouble while we're at Law's training today."

"Yes, ma'am," the more vocal ones from both crews said. "We'll behave."

"You're such good babies! Mommy loves you all!" Neo chirped then waved them off. "Have fun! But not too much fun! We'll see you later! Bye!"

"See you later, Neo!"

"Later!"

"Bye!"

"Until we see each other again!"

"It's amazing how grown men and women response so well to her calling them babies," Elek said walking upon them just in time to watch the display before him.

"She just has that affect on people," Topaz said. "Or at least she does since Law has taken her in. If he didn't, she'd still be that scared little girl she once was."

"He's been very good for her then," Elek said.

"They've been good for each other," Topaz said.

"Oh, I can't believe we're already separating again," Neo said sadly while she watched the crews descend down into the town. "I miss them already."

"It won't be that long until you see them again," Penguin said.

"The captain's training today only goes until four o'clock," Bepo reminded her. "So you'll be with them again for dinner."

"That's still too long." Neo pouted. She perked up. "But let's get this over with. I'm ready."

"She's so weird today," Shachi said.

"Oh, hush," Neo said, tugging his hat down over his sunglasses. She then wrapped her arms around Law's. "Ready?"  
Law nodded.

"Okay," Neo said, summoning her wind crystals and wrapping her winds around their group. "We're off now."

"Yeah! Flying!" Luffy cheered.

"So who's all going to be there today?" Chopper asked.

"Besides us, only the four Summoners, the Council, and Healer Chase," Elek replied.

"Is it necessary for them all to be there?" Topaz asked.

"For this first training session it is," Elek said. "They just want to be there in case something goes wrong. They're not expecting it to, but with the odd occurrences with Trafalgar's first transformation they're not taking chances."

"I can understand that," Topaz said.

"Just as long as they're not all going to stay all the time," Neo said, tightening her hold on Law possessively. "And they don't hurt us."

"They won't," Elek assured her. "And each training session will typically only have one trainer there. A couple times, due to the training exercise itself, there will be another Summoner present, possibly even more. It really all depends on how Trafalgar develops."

"And he's not going to have anything to do with the Mortem Orb, correct?" Neo asked.

"That's correct." Elek nodded. "While he appears to be very strong it's still possible that he'll only become a Fourth Level Summoner. Assuming you all stay long enough for that I mean."

"So where are we going exactly?" Neo asked looking down at the forest below them.

"Just keep heading north," Elek said. "You'll see it when we get there. It's nothing but an open field in the forest. You can't miss it."

"Wow!" Luffy and Chopper exclaimed when a giant bird flew up out of the forest. "It's so huge!"

"This place is amazing!" Luffy said. He dropped his eyes back down to the forest. "There has got to be a lot of fun places to explore around here!"

"We can go explore later," Neo said.

"Really?!" Luffy's eyes lit up like stars.

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "It'll be fun."

"Fun as long as you two behave yourselves," Law said.

"Hey! I always behave myself!" Neo objected.

"Not when Straw Hat's around," Law said. "He always drags you into his crazy escapades."

"Oh!" Neo stuck her tongue out at him.

"Don't worry," Chopper said. "I'll be right there beside her the entire time. You can count on me."

Law nodded.

"And we can always follow them around so they don't get into trouble," Penguin said.

"Oh, yeah," Luffy said. "When are you guys going to take your revenge on Bao?"

"We haven't decided yet," Penguin said. "We still haven't decided on what we're going to do either."

"You going to join us, Straw Hat?" Shachi asked.

"Yeah," Luffy said. "Sounds like fun."

"Oh dear," Topaz said. "I'm not sure I'm going to want to know what you lunkheads come up with."

"Hey! We're not lunkheads!" Shachi and Penguin shouted.

"Is that it?" Neo asked pointing to an open field in the forest.

"That's it," Elek said. "And it looks like everyone else is here. Go ahead and take us down."

"Okay," Neo said, lowering them to the ground.

"Good morning, Princess of the Elementals and new Summoner," Mohan said when they landed.

"Did you all sleep well last night?" Morana asked.

"I slept great!" Luffy grinned.

"What else is new?" Shachi mumbled.

"I slept all right," Bepo said.

"I slept fine as well," Chopper said.

"Can't complain," Penguin, Topaz, and Elek said.

"It was fine," Neo said. She carefully ran her eyes over the four Summoners that were destined to train Law. They were standing a bit away from the group looking very standoffish and somewhat smug. Fire filled in her chest at the thought of them hurting her Law. She relaxed when he patted her hand. "I guess."

"Good then we can start immediately with the new Summoner's training," Morana said. "And we should start with introductions." She waved her hand at the Summoners, signaling them to introduce themselves. "If you would."

"My name is Art. My guardian animal is the bear. I am very skilled as a Third Level Summoner but specialize in Naturae."

Neo took the man in. He was clearly very beefy from his shirt sticking to him like he was sewn into it instead of putting it on himself with a rough looking scar crossing over his forehead. The shirt was missing its sleeves and the rough edges where they should have been told her that he most likely ripped them off instead of cut them off. His black hair was in a buzz cut and his eyes were also black and seemingly holding no emotion at all.

"My name is Lavi. It's a pleasure to meet you all. I hold the animal lion as my guardian. I'm a talented Third Level Summoner who specializes in Animabilis."

Neo let her eyes drift to him. He was probably six inches taller than Art, making him about two inches taller than Law. He sported shaggy reddish brown hair and matching eyes. The smile he now wore made him see a lot friendlier than when they had first met. She wondered which was the real him. Was he all business or more relaxed?

The next guy was about three inches shorter than she was. And while he didn't have the muscles that Art did he was still a very stout man. His hair was neatly cut and matched his light brown eyes. He spit on the ground, making Neo queasy, before speaking. "The name's Charger. I'm a skillful Third Level Summoner along with these yahoos. My specialty is Aurae and my guardian is the buffalo. And I ain't none too fond of you pirates neither. So don't expect any special treatment from me."

Neo narrowed her eyebrows and tightened her hold on Law.

"Charming fellows," Shachi mumbled.

"And they're all so skilled as _Third Level Summoners_ ," Penguin mocked. They chuckled until Law gave them a stern look of disapproval.

"They're scary," Chopper said, hiding half behind Neo's leg.

Neo reached down and patted him on his hat. Her eyes remained locked on to the Summoners. The next guy was by far the shyest of the group, which struck her as odd considering how they all seemed to cold and rude when Law first transformed. She watched as the man made circles in the dirt with his boot and spoke without looking up at anyone. His shaggy blonde hair hung over his eyes to which she thought she saw were a deep green. He said, "I'm Zip. Third Level Summoner who specializes in Aurae."

"Well, now that that's over," Mohan said with a nod at Healer Chase. "We'll get started with your first lesson."

"So what happens now?" Bepo asked.

"Yeah," Luffy said. He pointed at the healer as the man walked over to Neo and Law with flat crystals in his hands. "And what's with those crystals? Are they yours?"  
"In a way," Healer Chase said, holding up one of the crystals in his fingers. "These crystals aren't crystals that we summon. They are used to monitor someone's heartbeat or brainwaves. And they transfer the data to the other box shaped crystal over there on the stump. Unlike human heart and brain monitors that use electricity, these use magic and can be activated by a trained healer using their glow from their crystals."

"Wow. That's amazing," Chopper said.

"So what are you going to do with them?" Luffy asked.

"Did you hear him at all?" Shachi gave Luffy a quizzical look. "He's going to monitor the captain's and Neo's blood pressure and brain waves."

"That's cool!" Luffy grinned. "Will Tra be wearing them as well?"  
"He will." Healer Chase nodded.

"You're an idiot, Straw Hat," Shachi said.

"Uh." Neo tugged at the collar of Law's hoodie she was wearing. "I didn't wear a shirt where the collar can be pulled down far enough."

"Don't worry about it, Princess," Healer Chase said. "You can stick one on your chest yourself and I'll put one on each of your wrists and your forehead."

Neo nodded. She took the patch from the healer and slipped it on her chest. Then she held out her wrists, reluctantly releasing her hold on Law, so the healer could put them on her. The one on her forehead was placed to the side of the orb. She watched patiently as Law placed one of his own chest and got one on each wrist then his forehead.

"Let's proceed then," Mohan said. "First you're going to transform into your guardian. We'll see if the Princess of the Elementals transforms on her own or not."

"If nothing happens," Healer Chase then said, "I want you to walk and run around a bit in your animal form. Basically test out how your new body moves and feels. I'm going to check and see what your heart rates are during that time." He walked back over to his equipment to get a quick reading of their heart rates. He picked up a pen and scribbled down their rates as they scrolled across the screen. "Right now you both are fairly calm."

"Then we would like for you to transform the Princess of the Elementals," Morana said.

"This is so exciting," Fatin said. "I can't wait to see your animal form. I'm positive you're going to be just as cute in it as you are in your human form."

Neo rolled her eyes but let the woman's words pass by.

"Hey! Watch what you say about the captain!" Penguin snapped. "He's taken! He's married!"

"Yeah! If you dare speak like that again we're going to-" Shachi started.

"It's all right, boys," Neo said. They looked at her with confusion written all over their faces.

"But she's flirting with the captain," Bepo said.

"I know," Neo said. "And I don't like it one bit. But I'm not going to let her get to me. She can flirt all she wants to." She smirked right at the woman. "Because I know Law won't give her the time of day. And I know that Law will always come home with me."

Fatin's flirtatious grin faded away as the pirates and Lavi chuckled. She said, "Whatever, honey. I can have any man I want. You should know that."

"You can't and never will have Law," Neo said. "He's mine. You can flirt with him if you want, but it's better for you not to since I'm pregnant and have been rather snappy and aggressive here lately. I might lash out at you with my crystals."

"Whatever," Fatin said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Can we proceed please?" Mohan asked, sounding really annoyed at the little argument going on.

"Yes, let's proceed now," Morana said. She nodded lightly at all. "If you would."

Law nodded. He passed his sword off to Bepo before turning his eyes to Neo's. He pecked her lips then took a few steps away from her. He asked, "So what exactly am I suppose to do?"

"Our animal guardians come at our will," Elek said. "You just have to want it to come out. You'll feel the animal inside of you. Just let your aura surround you and want it to come."

Law exhaled. Closing his eyes, he tried to find the animal inside of him. He really didn't know what he was doing. He really didn't feel anything inside of him. But slowly, he started to feel another presence deep inside of him. It sent a chill up his spine that this animal was somehow inside of him but also not inside of him. It was just so bizarre. His aura lit up around him. He felt Neo jump in memory of the first time this happened. _'Don't worry, love. It's not going to hurt this time.'_ When he felt her calm back down, he allowed himself to shift into his animal form. His body started changing just like it did the first time. Not a single thing hurt this time and the transition was a lot quicker. He was down on all fours in just three seconds.

Neo couldn't hold back her squeak of delight in seeing Law as a snow leopard. Her cheeks flushed pink as she struggled against the urge to cuddle up with him and fawn all over him. "He's so cute!"

"So awesome!" Luffy said. "I want to be a Summoner! I really, really want to be one!"

"No, you don't!" Shachi and Penguin snapped. "You're not allowed!"

"Aw! Come on!" Luffy said.

"No!" the Heart Pirates snapped.

"So, she didn't change," Mohan said. "How's their blood pressure?"

"His is holding steady," Healer Chase said. "But the Princess's has increased."

"That will be normal," Topaz said.

"Yeah, just give her a minute to adjust to this and it'll go back down," Chopper said. He looked up at Neo, she was still trying to force back her desires to fawn over Law. "Or I think she will."

"She's really enjoying seeing the captain like this," Penguin said, earn a nod of agreement from Shachi and Bepo.

"Tra looks so funny," Luffy said. He rushed over to Law and squatted down in front of him. "So how's it going in there? Do you feel any different?"

Law released a low growl.

"What's wrong?" Luffy cocked his head. "Can't you talk?"

"Not while in his animal form," Mohan said. "Right now he's an animal, more or less. He still has his human brain and thoughts, but at the same time his body also holds that of a snow leopard's brain."

"Can I ride him?" Luffy asked while starting to lift his leg over Law.

Law swished his tail in annoyance and growled.

Neo giggled.

"Don't be an idiot!" Shachi and Penguin shouted as they whack Luffy over the head.

"Ouch! What the heck was that for?!" Luffy demanded.

"He's a snow leopard! Not a horse!" Penguin snapped.

"So?" Luffy said.

"You're an idiot!" Shachi and Penguin said.

"He's so cute," Neo said, taking a step forward. "I want to play with him."

"There, there." Topaz said. She placed her hand on Neo's shoulder to stop her from going to Law. "You can play with him later we have business to take care of right now."

Neo whimpered. "But I want to play with him now."

Law walked over to her. He rubbed his head on her leg, making her squeal happily.

"So cute! He wants to play too!" Neo dropped to her knees. Taking Law's different shaped head into her hands, she scratched behind his ears. "Your fur is so soft!"

Mohan cleared his throat. "If you don't mind, we'd really like to get on with this. We don't have all day."

"Yes, please do walk around some," Healer Chase said. "The readings are still steady."

Reluctantly, Law moved away from Neo. He walked in a circle around the pirates a couple times before picking up his speed.

"Any changes?" Elek asked after watching Law run in four full circles.

"Nope," Healer Chase said. "Both their blood pressures and brain waves are normal. Let's move on and see if he can change the Princess into a snow leopard."

Law ran back over to Neo. Slowing down before reaching her, he walked up to her and rubbed his head on her leg again.

"Just out of curiosity," Elek said. "Can you speak with Law in this form?"

"Of course I can." Neo nodded. "He spoke to me a while ago."

"When?" Elek asked.

"When I said he wanted to play too," Neo said.

"Oh," Elek said. "I thought you were just saying that because you wanted to play with him."

"Nope." Neo shook her head. "It was him too."

"How exactly did you speak to him?" Healer Chase asked. "Was it through your normal means of speaking with animals or with your bond?"

"It was through my normal way," Neo said. "He wanted to also see if I could speak with him that way."

"I'm really becoming curious as to how deep your bond with each other goes," Elek said.

"Sorry," Neo sang. "It's a secret."

"A secret you will spill if it prevents harm from happening to our island," Mohan said.

"No," Neo said stubbornly. "Our bond is sacred. I will not tell anyone I deem unworthy of knowing about it."

Mohan narrowed his eyebrows. His aura rolled out from him like waves. "You will tell us what we need to know. I will not let your childish tantrum continue like this. You are not a child."

"In a way I still am." Neo smirked. "And I'm not throwing a tantrum. I'm holding what we hold sacred close to myself. I do not trust you at all. And I will _not_ tell anyone I don't trust about our bond. To put it more bluntly, it's none of your blasted business."

"You will tell us if we want to know," Mohan hissed, taking a step forward.

Law stepped in a guarding position in front of Neo and hissed at the man.

Mohan stepped back, clenching his teeth.

"Mohan, please," Morana said, holding up her hand to his chest.

"Yes, you've riled her _highness_ enough," Fatin said.

Neo huffed at the woman. She had a burning desire inside of her chest to use her crystals on the woman. But it quickly disappeared when Law nuzzled back up against her. She wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry, Law. I didn't mean to get upset."

"Let's proceed, please," Healer Chase said.

"Okay." Neo nodded. "Law?"

Law looked up at her. Hesitating for a moment before extending his aura over her body. And just like the last time, Neo's body shifted into the body of a snow leopard.

"It's happening again," Topaz said.

"This is normal isn't it?" Bepo said, clutching Law's sword tightly. "Please, tell me this is normal."

"Of course it's normal," Luffy said. "It's Tra and Neo we're talking about."

"Do you ever think before you speak?" Shachi said. "Them two are anything but normal."

"Neo?" Penguin knelt down next to her, worry written all over his face. "Are you okay?"

Neo looked at her brother. She purred and licked his hand tenderly.

"I'm glad," Penguin said.

"Can you speak to animals too?" Luffy asked.

"Please, just stop talking, Straw Hat," Shachi said.

"Healer Chase," Mohan said. "Has anything changed?"  
"Not a single thing," Healer Chase said. "I can't find anything that should cause us alarm. Princess, would you please walk around for a while?"

Neo looked at him then at Law.

"He can walk with you," Healer Chase said.

Neo nodded. With Law beside her they started walking around a bit. They stayed together a few short minutes before they stopped walking and looked at the healer.

"Let's try moving away from each other," Healer Chase said. "I want to see if the aura breaks or remains on the princess."

Neo looked at Law. When he nodded the two started to move away from each other. They walked a quarter of a mile before being called back by the healer.

"It didn't break at all, interesting," Healer Chase said.

"Well?" Mohan asked.

"Still nothing to be concerned about," Healer Chase said. "I should take some blood samples just to check that. But as far as I can tell this is just normal for them. And I'm betting that the only reason this is happening is because of their bond."

"We still need to test and see if she can use the summons of the aura," Morana said.

"Yes, of course," Healer Chase said, keeping his eyes on the screen in front of him. "Go ahead."

"All right, Summoner Law," Morana said. "You two turn back into your real forms."

Law released his aura from his body. His fur was replaced with his skin at the same time Neo's changed.

"Whoa," Neo said when she was back to her real self. She inspected her hands while she remained sitting on the ground. "That was so weird."

"How are you feeling?" Law asked.

"A bit tired," Neo said. "But other than that I'm just fine."

Law nodded. He took her hands in his and stood up with her.

"I bored," Fatin said. "Can we move this along so I can go get a pedicure?"

"Oh, Fatin," Morana said.

"What?" Fatin said. "Standing here is killing my feet."

"Proceed," Morana said with a wave of her hand.

"I guess that's my cue," Zip said, walking closer to the pirates. "I'll be starting your training."

"I was wondering if they were going to say anything else," Shachi whispered.

"So what happens now?" Chopper asked.

"I'm starting the new Summoner in his Aurae training," Zip said, keeping his eyes down low. "This first exercise will be simple." He held out his hand to demonstrate as he explained. "Summon your aura around your body. Feel it's pulsating power and harness it. When you have control over it, manipulate the aura into any form you wish." His yellow aura flowed around in his hand before shifting into a bowl, a fork, and then a sword. "See? Start off with easier objects like a bowl then work it from there."

Law nodded. He held his hand up and focused on his aura. He jumped when his aura shot out like a bullet and disappeared into the forest around them. Birds chirped angrily and flew into the sky from the disturbance.

"Sorry about that!" Neo called out. "We didn't mean to disturb you!"

"That was so cool!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Shut up, Straw Hat," Law said, his aura flickering in annoyance to match his scowl. "This isn't easy."

"Come on, Captain," Bepo cheered quietly. "You can do it."

"Yeah, you can do it," Shachi and Penguin added.

Law focused on his aura. Blocking out the rest of the world, he pictured in his mind the aura shifting into the shape of a bowl. He closed his eyes and held onto that image. Bowls were an everyday object. It should be easy to create one. He could feel the aura wanting to obey his silent command. He just had to get it to do his will. A small gasp from Neo caused him to open his eyes. He looked at her, but she was staring down at his hand.

"Look," she said softly.

Law dropped his eyes to his hand. He had done it. A small bowl was floating over his hand, connected by little bubbles of his aura floating back and forth between his hand and the bowl.

"Impressive," Mohan said. "Usually it takes a few more tries for a new Summoner to change their aura."

"He is a very strong one indeed," Morana said with a nod.

"Yeah, yeah. Good for him," Fatin said while picking at her fingernails. "Move along now. I'm starting to get really bored here."

Law resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Now what do you want me to do?"  
"Try passing your aura over to the princess," Healer Chase said. "Let's see if she can control it."

"You ready?" Law asked.

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "Go ahead."

Law swallowed. He was a bit unsure about doing this but allowed his aura to flow over to her body.

Neo shifted on her feet. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. "I don't feel anything."

"Can you shift the aura at all?" Morana asked.

Neo focused on the aura around her. A few second later, she shook her head. "Nope. I can feel it around me, but I can't control it at all."

"So what does that mean?" Bepo asked. "Is she going to be able to use the captain's aura at all?"

"I don't believe so," Healer Chase said. "For the moment it only appears that she can only turn into an animal like he can. If I had to take an educated guess, it absolutely has to do with her bond to him and probably due to the fact she's an Elemental. We can still try to have her use summons later, but I'm doubting she'll be able to."

"Then we are done for the day," Mohan said.

"Finally!" Fatin turned on her heels and headed back towards the town without another word to anyone.

"Wait, that's it?" Luffy asked. "The training's over?"

"No, the training has only begun," Mohan said. "The new Summoner will train on manipulating his aura today. When he gets that completely under control, he'll advance to learning how to use his aura as weapons. After that the training will move on to learning to do summons for the Naturae Orb and so on and so forth. Once the new Summoner gets better in his training we'll test the Princess of the Elementals to see if she can do any summons."

"That's so cool!" Luffy said. "So what kind of summons thingies is Tra going to do today?"

"You don't use any kind of summons to manipulate your aura," Mohan said. "Since the aura is already inside of you the summon would be a waste, if it was possible at all. He'll start summoning things soon after he gets his aura manipulation under control."

"Ah, that's no fun," Luffy whined.

"That is how it's suppose to be," Mohan said. "We will be leaving now."

"Until we meet again we bid you farewell," Morana said before walking off with Mohan at her side.

"We're out of here too," Charger said as he and the other Summoners walked off.

"Yeah, goodbye," Art grumbled.

"See you all later," Lavi said with a smile and wave.

"Bye!" Luffy waved.

"They really are charming," Shachi said with a roll of his eyes.

"Well, at least Lavi and Zip are nicer than they first appeared to be," Bepo said.

"I suppose you're correct," Shachi said, crossing his arms over his chest. "But it still remains to be seen whether or not they can be trusted."

"You can take the patches of now," Healer Chase said. "We won't be needed them anymore, today at least."

Neo and Law took off the patches. They laid them in the healer's hand then watched the man gather up his stuff to head back to the hospital. Neo waved to him before he finally took off.

"Let's get started then," Zip said.

Neo sighed. It was time for her to remove herself from Law's side. She pushed up on her toes and pecked his lips. "Take it easy today."

"I will," Law said. He tucked her hair behind her ear then brushed his thumb on her cheek. "I'm still right here."

"Yeah." Neo nodded. Reluctantly releasing him, she stepped back to be closer to the group while watching Law walk closer to the Summoner. She remained standing for a while just watching Law manipulate his aura into everyday objects. Eventually, they all sat down on the ground to continue watching him.

"How are you feeling, Neo?" Chopper asked.

"I'm fine," Neo said. "This part of his training isn't bad at all."

"That's good to hear," Chopper said.

"I am a bit bored though," Neo said. She summoned a wind crystal and wrapped a gale around Luffy and Chopper and lifted them into the air.

"Yahoo!" Luffy cheered when Neo summoned an earth crystal and created a vine playground for him and Chopper to run around on.

"This is so much fun!" Chopper added, sliding down a vine.

"At least you have two toys to play with here," Shachi said.

"Yeah," Penguin said. "But you know she'd rather _play_ with the captain."

"Hey!" Neo whacked her brother on the arm.

"What? It's true," Penguin said. "Sometimes is seems like you two do nothing but _play_."

"We don't do it that much," Neo protested. She whipped her eyes to Topaz for support. "We don't."

"I think I should stay out of this conversation," Topaz said.

"You have very good judgment," Elek said.

"Sometimes you are far too loyal, my sister," Neo said, pouting.

…

Law gathered a ball of aura in the palm of his hand. Concentrating, he made his aura spout out like a fountain. The part that was considered the water flowed over his hand and disappeared before even getting halfway to the ground. He was glad this part was this easy. And he was very glad that Neo was calm with this.

"That's very good," Zip said. "You've gotten the hang of manipulating the aura in small objects. Now let's try and make bigger ones. Do whatever you wish. You can make stairs, a tree, a person, or whatever you feel like. Just don't make it too big until you get use to the size."

"Right." Law nodded. After thinking about what he wanted to do next, he shaped his aura into his sword. He took a few practice swings. His eyebrows rose when the sword wavered.

"Moving your aura around while holding an object is tricky," Zip said. "Your brain has to be at least two steps ahead of your movements for you to be able to keep the sword firm and straight."

"I see," Law said. He took Zip's advice and channeled his brain to think a few steps ahead. He was able to keep his sword in its correct shape for three swings. "Will it always be like this?"

"No, it'll come more naturally later," Zip said. "Right now you're just not a hundred percent connected to our aura and your guardian. The more time you spend with them, getting to know them, the better and faster you will become."

"Just like learning with a real sword," Law said. "Expect your mind has to be divided into two different things. The first is holding the shape of the sword correctly while the other is picturing where you want the sword to go next."

"I believe you'll be able to master that in no time," Zip said. He glanced over at Law's sword that was still in Bepo's paws. "You're already a master with that sword, correct?"

"I am." Law nodded.

"And it's a cursed blade if I'm not mistaken," Zip said.

"It is," Law said, catching the first spark of life and enjoyment in the Summoner's eyes. "You like swords?"

"I do." Zip nodded. "I collect them whenever I can. I currently have over two hundred."

"Two hundred," Law said. "That's a lot of swords."

"Collecting them has been a hobby of mine since I was a kid," Zip said. "Back to training now. Remember, you're just getting started."

…

"Hey!" Sanji's voice called out. They all turned to see the blonde man and Basil making their way through the air with the help of Era and Aura.

"We brought you all lunch!" Basil said, waving one of the picnic baskets he was holding.

"Great! I'm starving!" Luffy said.

"Hey, Law!" Neo called out. "Lunch is here! Come eat now!"

"All right," Law said, letting his aura fade away. He turned and walked over to the group leaving Zip behind.

"Hey, you," Sanji said to Zip. "Get over here and eat. We have plenty for everyone."

"Uh, okay," Zip said, highly unsure about joining them. Taking his time, he walked over to the group. He sat down just as Sanji passed him a plate. "Uh, thanks." He took the plate and took a bite of the onigiri that was on it. "Wow! This is amazing!"

"Sanji and Basil are two of the best cooks in the world," Neo said. "They're wonderful."

"I can taste that," Zip said.

"Well, it looks like you're a normal human being after all," Shachi said.

Zip laughed. "Sorry about being so cold before. We can get pretty protective of our home, especially when something unexpected happens. Honestly, I'm starting to like you all a bit more than I thought I would."

"Great!" Luffy said. "We're friends now!"

"Huh?" Zip blinked in confusion. "Friends?"

"Don't even bother," Law said through chewing his onigiri.

"Yeah, once Luffy says you're his friend you won't get out of it," Chopper said.

"Okay then," Zip said while everyone laughed at his confusion.

"You'll understand later," Topaz said.

…

"Ah, this is so boring!" Luffy whined. He flopped back on the ground and kicked his feet like a child. "All Tra is doing is still making boring shapes! I want to have fun! I want to see him do summoning thingies!"

"You're the one who decided to come here, Straw Hat. You can leave if you want to," Shachi said. He turned to find that the Straw Hat captain had fallen asleep. "Are you serious?! How could you fall asleep so fast?!"

"I have to admit I'm a little bored as well," Bepo said.

"Oh, shut up!" Shachi snapped.

"I'm sorry." Bepo ducked his head.

"Don't yell at Bepo, Shachi," Neo said, patting the bear on his head. "This is a bit boring. But I'm glad that Law's not doing anything dangerous and that Zip is a bit nicer than I thought he was."

"So you're going to be fine with him training the captain?" Penguin asked.

"I guess so," Neo said. "I am a bit curious as to his abilities over the alligator and why his name is Zip."

"You could always ask him," Penguin said.

"So when do you think the captain will move on to training with weapons?" Topaz asked.

"My guess will be in a day or two," Elek said.

"That fast?" Neo questioned.

"Well, he's doing really well as it is right now," Elek said with a nod at the captain. "Which isn't surprising since he has that dark area around his aura. He'll probably start on weapons training tomorrow. It all really depends on what those teaching him decide."

"Charger doesn't seem like a very nice guy," Chopper said. "Will Law be all right training with him?"  
"Yeah." Elek nodded. "Despite the grumpy outward appearances they might have and the sternness they have when training someone, they take their training jobs seriously. And they'll take Trafalgar's training extra seriously because of the unusual circumstances and his dark edges."

"Hey, it looks like they're done now," Penguin said.

Everyone, but Luffy who was still sleeping, turned their eyes to the two Summoners training. Law was sitting on the ground with his arms over his knees. He was panting heavily with sweat beads rolling down his face. Neo was the first one on her feet. She ran over to him, dropped to her knees, and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Law…geez. You're so exhausted."

"Nothing a good meal and a good night's sleep won't fix," Law said through his pants.

"And a cool breeze and a cool drink of water," Neo said. She summoned a wind and water crystal. Cooling them both down she let him have them. While he drank and enjoyed her cool breeze, she examined him carefully despite knowing he wasn't injured at all.

"You're such a mother hen," Law said.

"I can't help it," Neo said, catching his eyes. "I have to take care of my babies."

 _'Well, you can take care of me later when we're in our apartment.'_ Law smirked.

 _'Oh? What did you have in time?'_

 _'I think you already know.'_

 _'I think I do.'_ Neo smiled.

"If you two are done sharing sexual fantasies," Topaz said, bring her two captains eyes up to her and the rest of their group.

"Sorry," Neo said, her cheeks turning pink. "Can we go now?"

"Yes," Zip said. "He's done with his training for today. I'll give my report to the Council and to the other three Summoners. We'll decide later where your training will go tomorrow. Good night, all."

"Yeah, see you later," Shachi said.

"Are we heading back now?" Bepo asked. "Can you walk, Captain?"  
"Yeah, I can walk," Law said.

"But you're not," Neo said. "I'm flying us back to the apartment. You're going to relax now."

Law chuckled at her mother hen-ing. He ruffled her bangs playfully. "Yes, Mother."

Neo stuck her tongue out at him. Much to her surprise, Law shot out his fingers and grabbed it. "H-y! L-w! –et o!"

Law pulled her close to his face where their noses just barely touched. "Don't stick that at me unless you plan on using it."

"O- I'v- p-ans -or -oing -hat –ater," Neo muttered, causing everyone to laugh.

"Well, I should be going now," Elek said.

"Oh, all right," Topaz said.

"H-y! Wa-t! –al! –et go o- -e," Neo said.

"Behave yourself then." Law released her.

"Come eat dinner with us," Neo said once free.

"You want me to?" Elek asked.

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "I want you too."

"Really?" Topaz asked, a bit of hopefulness in her voice and a smile in her eyes.

"Well, okay then," Elek said. "I'd love to."

"Yeah! Let's go back!" Neo wrapped her winds around them and pulled them into the air.

"Will you wake up, Straw Hat?!" Shachi demanded.

"Huh?" Luffy opened his eyes. "I'm flying?"

"We're going back to the apartment," Bepo said.

"Great! I'm starving!" Luffy said. "I hope Sanji has a lot of meat cooking for us!"

"It's a bit early for him to start dinner," Penguin said.

"It's ever too early to eat!" Luffy said.

"He's got a point," Chopper said.

"Whatever," Shachi said.

"We're here," Neo said upon their final approach to the giant tree. She lowered them down to the ground to find a few of their crewmates lounging around under the newly constructed patio and Basil was already cooking on the grill. The patio was large enough to fit them all with the grill right in the middle of everything. Above the grill was an opening with a roof of its own so the smoke could exit but the rain wouldn't be able to fall in on them. Several other chairs, tables and couches had been built and placed under the patio roof as well. "Wow. Franky out did himself."

"You should have seen him working on this thing," Jean Bart said. "He had it all finished in ten minutes."

"Franky's awesome, isn't he?" Luffy asked with a bright grin.

"Sometimes I have to wonder if that guy is human at all," Shachi said, inspecting the patio. He breathed in the newly cut wood while running his hand over a pole. "Such smooth craftsmanship."

"I still want Franky to add a pool in the sub," Neo said.

"Not happening," Law said. Sitting down he released an exhausted sigh and sunk into the cushions.

"Hard day, Captain?" Jean Bart asked.

"Sort of," Law replied, letting his hat fall over his eyes.

"My poor baby needs to rest." Neo walked behind him. She placed her hands on his shoulders and started massaging the tension out of him.

"There you guys are," Sanji said, walking over to them with two glasses of something in his hands.

"Hey, Sanji," Neo said. "What have you been doing all day?"  
"Not much," Sanji said. "Just went looking around and checked out a few restaurants. Here you go." He handed the glasses to Neo and Law. "This will help regain your strength. You look exhausted."

"Thanks, Sanji," Neo said while Law nodded his appreciation.

Law took Neo's hand off his shoulder and placed a kiss on it. "Come sit with me now."

Neo nodded with the straw in her mouth. She walked around the couch and sat down with him. She hummed in delight from the vanilla flavored drink and the kiss Law placed in her hair. They sat quietly while listening to the birds singing and everyone talk about their day.

"Has anyone see Zoro?" Neo asked when she noticed he was the only one who hadn't returned yet.

"I saw him earlier," Ikkaku said. "He was still going at it with that Summoner swordsman."

"That jerk," Sanji scoffed. "He should know better than to keep a lady waiting on him."

"It's not surprising at all," Robin said. "He's probably still sparring with the man."

"And since he isn't back yet," Nami said. "I bet this guy is harder to beat that Zoro thought he would be."

"So he _is_ still going at it then," Penguin said. "I think I'd pass out if I trained as hard as that guy did. And he does it with three swords. My jaw hurts just thinking about him holding a sword in his mouth."

"It doesn't bother him at all," Usopp said. "He's always training by putting weights in his mouth."

"How has he not broken his jaw yet?" Tero asked. "Or even his teeth?"

"He's an odd one," Sanji said.

"You're one to talk, Blackleg," Tero said. "Fighting the way you do. You know, now that I think about it, it makes sense that people call you the Monster Trio. You, Zoro, and Straw Hats are just monsters and nothing more."

"What's that suppose to mean?!" Sanji demanded. "I'm not a monster at all! I'm a gentleman!"

"Yeah, sure you are," Tero said. "I'm sure all the ladies you have met will side with me on the fact that you are a monster instead of a gentleman."

"You take that back!" Sanji growled.

"That's not going to happen!" Tero said. "It's the _truth_!"

"You two are so funny," Neo said. "But you really should calm down now. For me, okay?"

"All right," Sanji said. "I'll do it for you since I'm a _gentleman_."

Tero rolled his eyes but didn't argue any farther.

Just then they all spotted Zoro walking up to them. The swordsman had a mixed expression of tiredness, bewilderment, and anger.

"What's wrong with you, bro?" Franky asked.

"You don't look so well," Brook said.

"What's up, Zoro?" Luffy asked.

"Nothing," Zoro said, plopping down on the ground.

"You look extremely worn out," Neo said, noticing his heavy breathing and his sweat stained clothes. "Did something go wrong with your sparring session with the Summoner?"

"No, everything went…fine," Zoro said, forcing out the last word.

"It doesn't sound like everything went fine," Nami said.

"Well, it did," Zoro said.

"You want to talk about it?" Neo asked, bringing a cool breeze around the worn out swordsman.

"Yeah, tell us what happened," Luffy said.

Zoro sighed. He knew he wouldn't get out of it now that Luffy wanted to know. He said, "Fine. The training session did go fine. It's just that this guy is a lot more skilled than I thought he would be."

"And that's a problem?" Nami asked.

"No," Zoro said, with a malicious grin. "I just found the greatest sparring partner next to Hawkeye."

"He's that good?" Shachi asked.

"He is," Zoro said. "But mostly because he uses his Summoner powers with his sword skills. I can't wait until tomorrow to train with him again."

"That's cool," Luffy said with a smile. "I'm glad you found someone to spar with while we're here."

"I'm glad nothing went wrong," Neo said. "You had me worried there for a second."

"You stupid swordsman!" Sanji said, whacking Zoro on the head. "You made Neo worry!"

"Shut up!" Zoro snapped. "I didn't mean to!"

"It's all right," Neo said. "I'll have to come watch you one day. Now you should eat. I'm sure you're very hungry."

"Yeah." Zoro nodded.

"Let's all eat!" Luffy cheered before digging into the food.

"Hey! Straw Hat!" Basil protested. "At least wait until I've got it on the tables! Sheesh!"

…

 **Catiorro: I really like your ideas with the rest of the crews' Summoner guardians if they had them. But, no, only Law is going to have the Summoner's power. It would be too much for me to add anyone else in. Though the option of one shots or short stories are a possibility. I could put them in my Neo & Law Collection of one shots and short stories. I have three chapters for the Collections in mind but haven't taken time to write them so the Summoners one shots might be a while if I do them.**

 **Apple Bloom: Glad you're liking it. I just hope I can survive the training chapters. They're proving harder to write than I thought they would be. I want to give enough time with them but I also don't want to over do it since a lot of the training is just going to be repeats of the same exercises. So mini time skips look unavoidable.**

 **Mooshroom71: Thanks. Glad you like it.**


	13. Aurae Training

Aurae Training

Part One

Law, with his eyes closed, took a deep breath and released it. Opening his eyes, he held out his hand and gathered his aura into his palm. Once he had a ball that was slightly smaller than his hand, he grabbed the aura. Upon his silent command, the aura extended out into an aura sword identical to Kikoku. His aura shivered with the threat of wavering and losing its shape. But the pirate surgeon wasn't going to have any of that. This was _his_ aura. And it _was_ going to obey him. He focused harder on the aura, steadying its wavering within a few seconds.

He could feel it and his guardian inside of him. He could feel the wildness of this power he now held in the palm of his hand through his aura. He imagined this was what Neo and all the other Elementals felt like or similar to it. While they were literally a part of nature, he felt like he was now running along side of it. It was almost like nature was trying to accept him as one of its own rather than a weak human being that couldn't do anything on his own to counter the raw power that nature was. It was a strange feeling for him to have. He had a small amount of doubt lingering in his might about having the ability to control nature like this. He relaxed bit when he recalled that the Summoners had a time limit on their powers. And he had Neo by his side. She wouldn't let anything happen to him and neither would his crew or the Straw Hats.

Along side the aura, he could feel his guardian pacing somewhere inside of him. The creature wasn't pacing like a caged animal or a starving one. It was almost like it was pacing with excitement. In fact, Law could feel the thing reaching out for him with the desire to run free with him in his snow leopard form. And he also felt like running free with the animal. He was going to have to find sometime to do just that. He loved the idea of running free with Neo by his side, both in their snow leopard forms. The island they were on was perfect for that. Even the field they were standing in was perfect for it. But that was going to have to wait for now.

 _'Seal.'_ Neo thought out to him.

 _'What?'_

 _'We're going to call your animal guardian Seal.'_

 _'And why Seal?'_

 _'I don't know. It just seems to fit. And I just want it that way.'_

 _'So when I transform you're going to start calling me Seal from now on?'_ Law mentally smirked at her when he felt her cheeks flush.

 _'No, of course I'm not going to call_ _you_ _seal. You're still Law no matter what form you take. And you always will be. I just want to call your guardian by some other name rather than try to call him Law as well or your animal guardian. Do you not like the idea?'_

 _'The idea is just fine. You don't need to cry.'_ Law wrapped his presence around Neo when he felt her tears gathering in her eyes.

 _'I'm sorry. It's my hormones again. I want snuggles later from you.'_

 _'Of course.'_

 _'I'll let you get back to training. It looks like Zip is ready to get started.'_

Law nodded and released his mental conversation with Neo. He turned and faced his teacher and opponent for the day.

"I hope you're ready," Zip said. Holding out his hands to his sides, he gathered his dark green aura and formed them into two aura swords. "Today's training is going to be a lot harder than yesterdays. The others want me to really push you today since Charger is going to come here tomorrow so we can test how you do with two Summoners and with controlling your aura through long range weapons such as the bow and arrow."

"Fine," Law said, swiping his aura sword through the air. "Let's get started then."

"You got it." Zip nodded. With his hands tight around his aura swords, he leaped into the air and swung them down on Law.

Law easily saw the move coming. And he blocked it just as easy with his aura sword, mentally noting how the clashing swords didn't make a sound. For a split second he wondered why Zip attacked him with such a predictable move. He then assumed this was just a test since there was no way the Summoner would say he was going to push him hard today then slack off. Suddenly he felt himself flying backwards and his back colliding with the ground caused air leaped out of his lungs. The wind suddenly picked up with a boom of thunder rumbling overhead. "I'm fine, Neo. He just caught me off guard."

…

"Easy, Neo," Sanji said, pulling her into his arms.

"I know," Neo said to both Law and Sanji. She shifted on the ground and closer to Sanji's warmth. "I'm sorry."

"Zip sure is picking up the pace today," Chopper said.

"I was barely able to follow the man's moves," Brook said, his hollow eye sockets falling down to Law's ankle where the dark green aura was unwrapping.

"Does anyone know why the swords didn't make any sound when they collided?" Chopper asked.

"Well, technically auras aren't a physical objects. They're not made of steel, rock, or any other kind of solid material," Robin said. "So it's possible they just don't make a sound when colliding like that."

"I guess that's possible," Chopper said. "Though it's kind of eerie not hearing anything from them."

…

Once Law's lungs had refilled with air, he pushed upon his arms just in time to see Zip's aura unwrap from his ankle. His lips curled down into a frown. He wasn't expecting a sneak attack like that.

"Remember we control our auras in all kinds of ways," Zip said. "And when you're in the heat of battle and your life is on the line you need to use any means necessary to win the battle to get yourself and your comrades out of danger. I told you this wasn't going to be easy. You were focused too much on me and my aura swords when you should have been watching my _entire_ aura."

Law grumbled in annoyance while pushing himself back upon his feet. He wondered how that was possible when he only had two eyes and a Summoner's aura can cover a person's entire body while being manipulated into any shape and form possible. He couldn't keep one eye up and one eye down. It was physical impossible, even with an aura. Or maybe it wasn't. His mind shot back to the sub when Neo was with Topaz and Elek down in the training room. Neo had mentioned that Elek was able to control the arrow using his aura while his aura was over his eyes like a mask. The mask allowed the Summoner to be connected with the aura arrow so he could see where it was going while keeping watch on the two Elementals with him. So theoretically he could use his aura as an extra set of eyes while not taking his eyes off Zip.

"You ready to go again?" Zip asked.

Law nodded. Holding his sword out, he manipulated his aura so it would spread over his eyes like a mask. He saw a small sparkle of light lighting up in Zip's eyes and wondered what could possibly be going through the man's mind. He braced himself for the Summoner's next attack. While striking out his aura sword to block Zip's aura swords, he tried to get connected to his aura so he could see if Zip was going to sneak attack him again.

Law ducked just in time to miss Zip's aura sword hitting him in the head. He lost control of his aura and his sword faded halfway from existence. He refocused fully on his aura sword, pulling it back into its stable shape. When he tried again to focus on trying to see if Zip's aura was coming towards his ankle again while blocking Zip's sword attack, he would lose focus on his aura sword and it would waver. But when went on his own attack he couldn't focus on the aura mask to see what was coming towards his feet. This thing was harder than he expected it to be. He had no choice but to stop trying to focus on what Zip was doing near their feet and focus on the man's aura swords.

He thought it was going to be impossible to split his focus three different ways. He jumped backwards when Zip swung his aura swords at him again. For some reason, he felt something scream in his mind to use the aura mask again and connect to the aura at the bottom of his feet. He instantly obeyed the feeling. Connected himself like he was told to do, he formed the mask over his face and connected to the aura at the bottom of his feet. He saw it. Part of Zip's dark green aura was coming towards his ankle again. Jamming his aura sword into it the ground cracked at the puncture of the aura sword. His eyebrows lifted when he realized he had seen and stopped the aura from grabbing his ankle again.

Zip chuckled. "I see you caught me."

"Was there a point to that?" Law asked.

"I was just testing you," Zip said. "But, honestly, I didn't think you would actually catch me so easily on the second try. While you're still having some issues with your training, which is normal at this stage, I see you also have a bit of a gift when it comes to this kind of training. Or possibly…" He looked over at Neo. "…it could be that your bond with her is causing this."

"What do you mean by what?" Law asked, stepping in Zip's way to block his view to Neo.

"I just meant that Elementals are nature," Zip said. "They have a natural connection to the world around them. And since you're bonded with her, I can only assume that part of her Elemental nature is some how within you. And that would make your connection to your aura and animal guardian feel a lot more natural. It would also mean that your animal guardian will be more than willing to help you without you bonding and training with it like everyone else does to get such a close, trusting relationship with the guardian."

Law kneaded his eyebrows. What Zip was saying did seem to ring true to him. He did hear something or someone calling out to him a minute ago. He wondered if it really was his animal guardian or if it was something else. He knew for sure it wasn't Neo calling out for him. He knew her voice inside of his head all too well. Plus, he knew she would never interfere in a sparring match like that no matter what. She would only interfere in a real fight if she believed his life was in danger. He had no problem with that since he trusted her judgment. He was going to have to spend some extra time with his animal guardian to see if it really was that thing calling out for him or if it was something else. He hoped it was his animal guardian because he had no clue what else would be able to enter into his mind and body like that. It sent a rather chilling shiver down his spine despite the fact it helped him and he didn't feel threatened by it. He focused on Neo's feels and found that she wasn't upset either but was a bit curious as to what he felt as well.

"Daydreaming while training can be deadly!" Zip charged forward.

Law formed his Room. He warped himself twenty yards behind Zip. "Room. Shambles."

"Hey!" Zip protested.

"What?" Law smirked when the man turned back towards him. "You never said that I couldn't use my Devil Fruit powers. Besides, you cheated a bit as well by using your aura in two different ways while this is only my second day of training."

Zip opened his mouth, but found that the pirate was correct. He never did tell him that he couldn't use his Devil Fruit powers. He huffed in annoyance. "Fine. I'll give you that one. Let's get back to work and no cheating this time."

"Whatever you say," Law said, his smirk still present on his face. The two men charged back towards each other, clashing their aura swords together rapidly.

…

Neo squealed and clung onto Robin's arm while she watched Law dance around in his Aurae weapons training with Zip. She was used to seeing Law training with his sword with the rest of the crew, but this was a bit too different for her to sit quietly. Zip was clearly faster than Law in his movements. The expert Summoner was zipping around all over the field while attacking and defending himself against Law. She constantly shifted her position while alternating who she would grab onto when Law came close to getting hit or was knocked to the ground.

"He's fast," Chopper said, referring to Zip. He was trying to follow Zip's fast moves but ended up getting a bit dizzy from doing so. He leaned against Neo's legs and sighed. "I can't keep up with him."

"I'm beginning to wonder if Zip is just a nickname," Sanji said, easily following the Summoner with his Observation Haki. "And he's clearly having a lot of fun working with Law like this."

"He is rather impressive," Brook said. "If he's this good, I wonder how the others are going to be in Mr. Tra's training. Surely they are this good as well."

"If the other three Summoners are this good then it makes more sense why the Council is having them train Tra," Robin said. She slipped her arm around Neo and rubbed the anxious Elemental's back when the young woman tightened her hold on her arm. "He's doing really good, isn't he, Neo? Tra shouldn't have anymore trouble with his training."

"I guess so," Neo said. Her body relaxed in response to Robin's tender touch.

"Are you really that nervous?" Sanji asked, turning his eyes to his favorite blue haired girl.

"Well," Neo said before pausing to take her feelings into account, "not really. I mean I am a bit nervous, but right now I think it's more of my pregnancy. I want to just cuddle with Law instead of sit out here and watch him train."

"Perhaps we should head back into town then," Robin suggested.

"We do have a lot of research to do at the library," Chopper said.

"The library," Neo said. "Maybe we should go ahead and go there. We're not doing anything here and I know I'm bugging Law a little with all of my fidgeting."

"If that's what you want to do," Chopper said. "You know we're with you."

"We can always come back and check on Tra during lunch time," Brook suggested. "He still has to eat after all."

"Yeah." Neo nodded. She watched and waited until Law was in a good position for her to call out for him. _'Law, I think we're going to head into town now.'_

…

"You're not bad at all," Zip said, blocking Law's aura sword with one of his own. Using his aura, he bent his knees and launched himself into the air when the pirate pulled back his aura sword and swung at him again. He back flipped in the air and landed on his feet. "I can't believe this is only the second day in your Aurae training and you've already mastered keeping your aura sword in a solid form to this degree."

"It really wasn't that hard," Law said. He glanced over at Neo and the others from the corner of his eyes when he heard her calling out for him.

"How about we take a short break?" Zip said. "I get the feeling the princess wants something from you."

"It'll only take a minute," Law said, his aura fading away from his body.

"Fine by me," Zip said while his own aura faded away before starting to stretch out his body. "I'll be right here when you're done."

Law nodded. Turning away from the Summoner, he walked over to Neo just as she and her small group stood up from the ground. He wrapped his arm around her waist when she ran up to him and snuggled into his chest. "You're leaving a bit quicker than I thought you would."

"I know," Neo said. "But I also know I'm annoying you with how fidgety I'm being."

"You're not annoying me at all," Law said softly with a smooth stroke of her hair. "You could never do that."

"You're sweet." Neo pulled back from him a bit so she could look into his eyes. "But I know I'm going to drive myself crazy just sitting around here watching you. I know you're doing fine right now. So we're going to go ahead and head into town, but we're coming back for lunch."

"Every well then," Law said, twirling a strained of her hair. "And since you're being such a good girl I'll let you groom me in my snow leopard form later."

"Really?!" Neo squeaked happily.

Law nodded, smiling at her sparkling eyes.

"You're the best!" Neo threw her arms around his waist and hugged him.

"Behave yourself now," Law said, holding her tightly against him before releasing her. He ran his hands over her growing stomach. "Take care of our baby."

"I will." Neo nodded.

Law nodded back then leaned down and captured her lips with his own. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah." Neo nodded. She kept her hands on his body, slowly dragging them over him until she reached his fingertips. Reluctantly releasing him all the way, she then walked over to the Straw Hats she was with.

"Don't worry," Sanji said, putting his arm around Neo's shoulders. "We'll take very good care of her while she's with us."

"You bet we will." Chopper nodded.

Law nodded back to them. He knew she was in good hands now.

Neo summoned a wind crystal. Pulling a gale around her small group, she lifted them into the air. She kept her eyes locked with Law's until she could no longer see him clearly. Sighing from him being out of her sight, she turned her full focus onto getting to the library. Her eyes dropped down to the town when they flew over it. The majority of the storm damaged had already been cleaned up. She also spotted some of her family in random spots through the town and hoped they were staying out of trouble.

"There it is," Robin said.

Neo looked up to see a rather large building that seemed to take up an entire city block. Her eyes widened. "Is that really it?"  
"It is," Robin said. "Nami and I passed by it the other day. We didn't have time to go inside of it, but I heard it has wall to wall and floor to ceiling books."

"I can't wait!" Neo squealed happily.

"Maybe it's not such a good idea to let her go into the library," Brook said, eyeing Neo's excited expression.

"Don't you dare try and keep me away from the library!" Neo said, her eyes flooding with tears. "Why would you even think that?! I just want to read! Why is that wrong?!"

"It's not wrong!" Brook said, waving his limbs frantically. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"You don't want me to read, do you?!" Neo asked, her tears pouring down her cheeks.

"Don't make her cry, you idiot!" Sanji and Chopper yelled while whacking the skeleton over his head.

"I said I was sorry!" Brook said, his own tears pouring down his boney face.

"I'm sorry," Neo said, brushing away her tears. "I know you're not going to keep me from going into the library. You must hate me now."

"No, not at all," Brook said. "I still love you very much."

"You do?" Neo lifted her eyes to the skeleton.

"I do." Brook reached into his pocket. Pulling out a handkerchief, he wiped away her tears then returned it to his pocket. "Let's go on inside, shall we?"

"Okay." Neo nodded and lowered them down to the ground right in front of the library. The second her bare feet touched the warm ground, she bolted forward and entered into the building with Chopper on her heals.

"She's so cute," Sanji said.

"She does love her books," Brook said.

"We better get inside," Robin said, heading for the door.

…

Neo gasped when she saw the inside of the library. The bookshelves were walls that curved in smooth directions all over the place. And just like Robin said, the building was filling with books from wall to wall and floor to ceiling with several tables and comfortable looking chairs scattered around the room. Some other people were in the library, but she barely even noticed them there. She clapped her hands together before summoning her wings and took to the air. She pulled the closest book off the nearest shelf and started flipping through it while taking a deep breath of the book scented air.

"Wow!" Chopper said, walking farther into the building below the excited Elemental. "This place is so huge! It must have an amazing medical section!" He dashed forwards to search for the medical books. "I have to see them! Now!"

"I know! There's so many books here!" Neo squealed, which earned her some questioning looks from some other people. She put the book back and few to another shelf. She flipped through a couple books before flying to yet another shelf.

"Looks like someone's having fun," Sanji said while they all watched Neo flying around the library.

"I don't think I'll ever again see someone act around books like she does," Brook said.

"We should probably just let her do what she wants while we do research on the history of this place," Robin said.

"That's probably a good idea," Sanji said. "I don't want her crying again."

"Let's get started then," Robin said. She led the way farther into the library while searching for the history section.

"Where did Chopper go?" Brook asked while he looked around for the missing reindeer as he walked through a few book isles with Robin and Sanji leading him.

"He's probably looking for the medical books," Sanji said upon reaching the history section. "Here it is."

Running their eyes over the words on the spines of the book, they each gathered up about six books each and then headed for a near by table. Scattering their books over the table, Robin took her bag of her shoulders and passed out the paper and pencils she brought with them for note taking. Fifteen minutes later, Chopper, in his human form, had finally joined them with ten medical books. He didn't say anything to them as he dropped his books onto the table with a rather loud thud. He sat down, turned back to his normal form, and dove into his own studying while they continued with their own. Finally, forty five minutes after Chopper had joined the study group their missing blue haired friend returned to them. She had fifteen books flying beside her, none of them about the history of the island or Summoners. She sat down and snatched one up. Opening the book she hungrily ran her eyes over the words before her, getting lost in the fictional world the books painted for her.

"Don't tell me she's planning on reading all of those the entire time we're here," Brook said, looking up from the book he was reading.

"Giving how much that book has her attention, it won't surprise me one bit if she finishes each and every one before we met up with Law for lunch," Sanji said.

"She certainly is enjoying herself," Chopper said while he watched Neo run her eyes over the pages in front of her. "I don't think she even realizes we're still with her."

"Oh, she knows we're here," Sanji said, opening a book. "She wouldn't be this calm if we weren't. And she never would have left us to get those books on her own."

"That's true," Chopper said. He turned his eyes back down to the book in front of him. They all quieted back down and soon only the sound of pages flipping filled the quiet area around them.

…

"That's odd," Robin said about two hours later.

"What's odd?" Brook asked.

"The tone of this book changes about half way through it," Robin said.

"What do you mean?" Chopper asked.

"The beginning of this book talks about the history of the orbs here," Robin said. "It starts off with the author talking like they would since they lived when all of this happened, but then it suddenly changes to past tense. It's like someone else took control of writing the book in the present day."

"Well, what does the book say exactly?" Sanji asked.

"It's talking about the orbs," Robin replied. "About how they were found by a man named Lazarus Lane when he came to this island. It says that he heard the voices of the orbs calling out to him one night. And when he went to find them, they told him how humans could use their abilities for themselves. This happened on the very first Summoner's Moon."

"The orbs have voices?" Chopper asked.

"What's the Summoner's Moon?" Brook asked.

"The Summoner's Moon is a festival that they hold every year, but the real Summoner's Moon only appears every four hundred and fifty years. The book talks a little bit on how the Summoner's Moon affects the orbs and how some summons can only work on that night. But only a very skilled Fourth Level Summoner can do the summons. And an extremely talented Fourth Level Summoner can call upon the Summoner's Moon with a summons if it's deemed necessary. The Astral Seal is what was used to seal the Mortem Orb in the mountain while the Astral Mist is used to control out of control Summoners."

"The Astral Mist can control Summoners?" Sanji asked.

"Apparently so. It also says that the Astral Mist can only be used for a total of five minutes," Robin said.

"I wonder how someone can be trusted with that type of power," Brook said. "Sounds like it would be a double edged sword to me. What else does the book say?"

"It also mentions that it was a Summoner's Moon when Lazarus Lane heard and found the orbs. So they use the day as a celebration of the birth of the Summoners here," Robin said. "And as for the speaking part, they do speak in the beginning of the book. But when the tense changes in the second half of the book there's nothing about the voices at all. And the author in the second half seems to be attacking the Mortem Orb like it's evil or something."

"That is odd," Chopper said.

"I also found something that's odd," Brook said. "This book talks about all the wars that have happened on Zion. It seems that none of them lasted very long. The longest one lasted only one day."

"That shouldn't be very surprising considering the power and numbers of Summoners they have here," Chopper said.

"Possibly," Sanji said. "But they have specific time limits on their powers where as Devil Fruit users do not. They could be over taken with the correct plan and enough people."

"We should write that down anyway," Robin said.

"You got it," Brook said. He picked up his pencil and scribbled down what he found.

"Does the book talk about what kind of abilities the Mortem Orb has?" Sanji asked.

Robin glanced over at Neo. The young princess had her arms crossed over the table and her head resting on them while she slept. "It does."

"You don't look very happy about what you found," Chopper said.

Robin nodded.

"What does it say?" Brook asked.

"Apparently, the Mortem Orb has the ability to take control over the person wielding it," Robin said. "And during that time of control, the orb causes some seriously painful physical and mental experiences."

"What kind of experiences?" Chopper asked.

"It can apparently rip the skin off the wielder, cause their bones to feel like they're burning, make them feel like their brain is being stabbed with thousands of tiny needles, and other such things," Robin said.

"Ouch," Brook said. "That would be painful. I'm glad I no longer have skin or a brain. But I still have bones. I don't want to burn. At least I'm not a Summoner."

"Do you think we should tell Neo about this?" Chopper asked. He turned his eyes back to Neo when she shifted in her sleep. He rubbed his hoof over her back when she called out Law's name.

"No," Sanji said. "Neo's in enough stress as it is. This will only make her stress out more knowing that Law is supposedly strong enough to wield the orb."

"At least the orb is locked up," Chopper said.

"I'm surprised that she's stayed away for as long as she did," Brook said. "And she's already through about a two thirds of the books she got. She's a fast reader."

"We should keep it from her, but tell Tra about it," Robin said. "He needs to know what he's in for in case the orb is freed. Then if he feels like Neo needs to know he can tell her himself."

"You don't have to worry about any of that," a woman's voice said.

The pirates looked up to see a black haired woman dressed in a dark purple robe walking over to them.

"Who are you?" Chopper asked.

"My name is Morana," she said. "I'm one of the three Council."

"Oh, the ones Neo and Law met with," Chopper said.

"That's correct." Morana nodded. "May I ask what you all are doing here?"

"Just taking in some of your history," Robin said. "It's quite fascinating."

"Indeed." Morana's eyes drifted to the sleeping pirate. "Is she all right?"  
"She's fine," Sanji said. "She's just tired."

"Of course." Morana nodded again. "I've heard being pregnant does that to a woman."

"Was there something you needed from us?" Brook asked.

"No," Morana said. "I was just wondering around and saw you over here. I thought I might as well say hello. I've run into some of your other friends. Your crews seem very nice and dependable with helping with the destruction of the storm despite being so rowdy at times."

"So is it really true that the Mortem Orb can take control of the person wielding it?" Brook asked.

"Yes, it can," Morana said. "That's one main reason why we decided to seal it up. It was just too dangerous to let people use."

"Yes, we read how it can rip peoples skin off," Robin said, holding up the book she was reading. "But I am a bit confused at this particular book. The tense changes about halfway through it. The first half speaks like the write was going through the events while the last half talks like the author was writing from this date in time."

"I see," Morana said, her lips twitching down into a frown before being curled up into a smile. It was a move that didn't go unnoticed by Sanji. "It must be a flaw then. I'll tell the bookkeepers about it." She reached out for the book and pulled it out of Robin's hands before the pirate could do anything. "The mistake won't be happening again. Well, I must be going now."

The pirates watched as the woman turned and walked away from them. They waited until the clicking of her heels was far enough away before turning back towards each other. Brook said, "What it my imagination or did she seemed rather upset over something silly?"

"It wasn't your imagination," Sanji said. "I picked up on that as well."

"She could just be a lover of books and is upset that one isn't perfect. But it's still something else we should keep in mind," Robin said.

"Well, I'm going to go put some of these books back in their shelves and grab a few more," Sanji said. He gathered up the books that they were done with and headed for the isles. He had three books replaced before walking to the next isle. Turning around the corner, he noticed Morana and another person talking. And the councilwoman didn't look a single bit happy and the other woman looked like a scolded child. He quietly moved closer to them to hear what they were talking about.

"Tell me!" Morana hissed. "How did this happen?!"

"I don't know, ma'am," the woman said. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't fix this!" Morana said.

"I know, but I didn't-" Before the woman could finish speaking, Morana pulled back her hand and slapped her.

Sanji flinched at the contact of skin on skin. The sound echoed through the quiet room. He wondered if anyone else had heard that slap.

"I don't want to hear any of your excuses!" Morana said. She shoved the book into the woman's chest, causing her to stumbled back a few feet. "I demand you go through all of these books and make sure there's nothing else like this in the library! If I find another book like this there will be serious consequences for all of you bookkeepers!"

"Y-yes, ma'am." The woman hugged the book to her chest, spun around, and ran off.

Sanji kept his eyes on Morana until the woman left through the front doors. He had a bad feeling about the interaction between the women. Sure some people might get upset at a mistake like that book has, but he thought the councilwoman had overreacted. There was no justifiable reason to slap someone over such a silly little mistake. Then it hit him that something was wrong here. The Mortem Orb has been locked up because of the dangers it presented. But there was no one, with the possible exception of Law, which could control the orb. So why was it really sealed in the mountain? Was someone really trying to free the orb? Was there someone else on this island powerful enough to control the Mortem Orb? He turned and headed back down the isle. Grabbing a few more books, he headed back to the group and told them what had happened and what he suspected.

"She just slapped her?" Chopper asked.

"Yeah." Sanji nodded.

"Then there's something more behind that book than we thought," Robin said.

"Should we go get the book?" Brook asked.

"It won't do us any good," Sanji said. "We already know what the book says. If we take it it'll raise suspicions."

"I guess you make a point there," Brook said. "I can't think of a good enough excuse for taking the book. The librarian probably has it locked up by now since Morana was so upset about it."

"Are you finding anything in the medical books?" Sanji then asked.

"No," Chopper said. "So far all the illnesses they have here are just like all the others. There doesn't seem to be any kind of sickness or allergic reaction to the orbs at all."

"At least that's a good thing to hear," Brook said. "Neo will love that."

"We should get back to reading now," Robin said. "Neo will probably be waking up soon and she'll want to get something to eat and possibly want to reunite with Tra."

…

Law clashed his aura sword against one of Zip's. From the corner of his eye, he saw Zip's aura coming towards his side. Pointing his palm towards the ground, he used his aura as an extending pole to launch himself into the air. He smirked when Zip's shocked eyes looked up at him. After a few seconds, he lowered himself back down to the ground.

"Amazing," Zip said. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you're this good already since you're a pirate and a swordsman."

"While that maybe true, I'm still new at this," Law said, his boots tapping on the ground as he landed. "I know I'm going to have issues with the summons."

"I don't think you're going to have it that hard," Zip said. "You're a natural at this."

Law parted his lips to reply to the man. He clamped his mouth closed when he saw someone walking over to them from the corner of his eye. He turned towards the young Summoner and frowned. He didn't expect Bao to come here. He was still rather angry at what Bao had done to Neo. And he still had to confront him about that.

"I'm getting the feeling there's some bad blood between you two," Zip said.

"He won't leave my _wife_ alone," Law growled

"I see." Zip nodded. "He's like that. Not very charming, huh?"

"Hey! How's it going?" Bao asked when he got close enough.

"It's going good," Zip said. "He's a natural."

"That's good," Bao said. "Neo will be pleased to hear that."

Law's lip curled down into a frown. He said, "Zip, give us a minute. I need to talk to Bao."

"Okay," Zip said, taking a step backwards. "Just…keep calm. And don't turn your Summoner powers on him. It's not tolerated on this island for that outside of training."

"I am calm," Law said. He said nothing else as he listened to Zip's footsteps moving away from them. Once the steps were replaced with silence, he stepped closer to Bao. His eyes were burning with rage as he peered into Bao's eyes.

"What did you want?" Bao asked, shifting uncomfortably on his feet.

"I am only going to tell you this once," Law said in a dangerous tone. "If you ever touch Neo again, I will kill you."

"I-"

"No," Law hissed. "I don't want to hear any kind of excuses or reasoning from you. This little game you're playing on trying to get Neo to leave me is _not_ going to work. She doesn't like you. So stop trying. I've put up with you for long enough. Touching Neo, hurting her like you did, is the last straw. If you come anywhere near her again, and if you ever try to touch her again, I _will_ kill you." He paused. Watching Bao's eyes closely, he noticed he was finally getting through the man's thick skull. But to make sure Bao understood him clearly he formed his Room. "Room."

"What are you doing?" Bao asked, looking at the blue sphere around them.

"Just this." Law reached out and pulled Bao's heart from his chest.

"What the-Ah!"

Law squeezed Bao's heart as hard as he possibly could. He watched in enjoyment as the Summoner dropped to the ground, clutching his chest. He loosened up his hold then squeezed again. His inner sadist was enjoying the pain filled screams floating in his ears. He moved to squeeze the heart again but stopped when he felt Neo. He could feel she was waking up from her nap and could sense his anger. He released it as quickly as he possibly could. He dropped Bao's heart on the ground right next to him. Walking away, he said, "I think I've made my point."

"Whoa! That was insane!" Zip said, his eyes widened in shock at the injured man on the ground. "What did you just do?!"

"I removed his heart with my Devil Fruit powers," Law said.

"You can remove body parts," Zip said. "Remind me to never get on your bad side."

"Just don't touch Neo or corner her and your life will be spared," Law said.

"No problem there," Zip said, nodded rapidly.

"Let's get back to work," Law said.

"Okay," Zip said, but he didn't take his eyes off Bao until the young man shoved his heart back into his chest and stumbled away from the area.

…

"Law, stop that. What are you doing?" Neo mumbled in her sleep before opening her eyes. She sat up and rubbed her sleepy eyes, noticing she wasn't on the sub or with Law. Her heart raced in her chest while she remained in a slight sleepy daze. Worry etched into her voice and tears gathered at the corner of her eyes when she asked, "Where am I? Where's Law? Why isn't he here?"

"You're in the Zion library, Neo," Robin said softly. "We came here a few hours ago. Tra is training with his Aurae."

"Oh, yeah," Neo said. "I remember now. I'm sorry. I got scared."

"It's quite all right," Robin said.

Neo's stomach then released a hungry growl. She giggled. "I guess baby and I are hungry."

"That's not surprising," Sanji said, closing his book. "It's almost lunch time. We should head back to the apartments and get lunch ready to take to Law."

"Yeah!" Neo nodded with a smile. "I want to see Law! And get food!"

"Okay, okay," Sanji said, standing up. "Let's put these books up and then we'll go."

"Ah, nuts," Neo said, frowning at the books she didn't get to read. "I didn't get to finish my books."

"We can come back at a later time," Robin said. "Or you could get a library card."

"Maybe I should get one," Neo said. "We are going to be here for a while."

"You should get one then," Chopper said. "We could check the books out and read them outside."

"Yeah!" Neo nodded. "I'll get one later. Right now I want some food." She summoned an earth crystal and formed herself an apple. She sunk her teeth into it bright red skin, breaking it. She hummed with delight when the juices washed over her tongue. "So yummy!"

The pirates chuckled at their blue haired friend before gathering up their books. They placed them back in their proper places and headed off for the door. The warm sun washed over their skin once they were outside. Neo enjoyed the feeling for a few seconds before summoning a wind crystal. They scanned their eyes over the crowds below them, spotting a few people they knew. Franky and Usopp were busy hammering away on a building. And from the looks of things, Franky was putting his typical flare on the building. It had a large shark like face where the door was. Neo waved to him and Usopp when they noticed them flying over. By the time they got back to their apartment tree, they found that Basil and Penguin already had lunch cooking on the grill.

"Basil! Penguin!" Neo squealed. She placed them all on the ground then ran over to her brothers. She threw her arms around their shoulders and pulled them into a hug. "I missed you two!"

"And we missed you," Penguin said, patting her on her back. "How are you feeling?"  
"All right," Neo said, pulling back from them. "I did get a bit scared from waking up from a nap, but Robin calmed me back down. Now, I'm hungry and want food. What are we cooking?"

"Steak, vegetable mix, and onigiri," Basil said. "I got a good deal on some steaks in town. Plus, some of the crew has been asking for it."

"It smells so good," Neo said, sniffing the beefy flavored air. Her stomach rumbled again and her mouth watered at the smell and sight of the steaks on the grill. Even their sizzling was making her hungry. "I'm so hungry. I'm stealing an onigiri."

"Go right ahead," Penguin said, tenderly touching her stomach. "Got to keep you two happy and healthy."

"So yummy," Neo said after sinking her teethe into a mayo filled onigiri. "It makes me want some grilled fish."

"We can have that for dinner," Penguin said. "The captain would like that as well."

"You just put the steaks on, didn't you?" Neo said, inspecting the still raw steaks.

"We did," Basil said. "We didn't know what time you would come back. Now that you're here you can use your crystals to move things along faster. The crew will probably be back soon anyway."

"I'll do that." Neo nodded. Summoning her wind and fire crystals, she rotated the steaks in the air and had them done in a few seconds. She placed them on the plate so Basil can cover them up until the crew returned from the activities while Penguin fixed them some picnic baskets to take to Law.

"Are we going to go eat with Law?" Chopper asked.

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "I can feel he's getting hungry."

"Let's be off then," Brook said.

"You coming or staying?" Neo looked to Penguin and Basil.

"We'll stay here and feed the crew," Penguin said.

"All right then," Neo said, lifted her group back into the air. "See you later."

"Later, Neo," Basil and Penguin called. The two men watched while the small group became smaller and smaller in the blue sky. Once they had disappeared completely, they turned back to finish up their preparations for lunch.

…

Neo was enjoying the cool rush of wind brushing over her exposed skin while she continued to fly them to the training grounds and crunched on another apple. Her enjoyment paused when she sensed Luna's bat guardian near by. She turned her eyes down to the green forest to search for the young girl.

"What is it, Neo?" Robin asked.

"I think Luna's out here," Neo said, scanning the forest below them.

"Why would she be out here?" Chopper asked.

"Perhaps she's out here training like Mr. Tra," Brook offered.

"Possibly, but Bao said she doesn't train," Sanji said.

"Then maybe she's just out for a walk or something," Chopper said.

"But why would she be going into the forest when it's lunch time?" Neo asked. "Shouldn't she be coming out of the forest?"  
"We could just ask her," Robin said, pointing to the white haired girl through a break in the trees. "She's right there."

Neo nodded. Redirecting her winds, she lowered the group down to the opening in the trees. Their suddenly arrival started the white haired Summoner and caused her to fall back on the ground.

"What the heck?! Where did you all come from?!" Luna asked.

"The sky," Neo said. Luna frowned, seemingly unpleased with her answer. "Well, it's true. We were flying by my wind crystals."

"I don't care!" Luna sneered. "Just don't do it again!"

"Are you all right?" Sanji asked, holding out his hand for her. "Did you get hurt when you fell?"

"I'm fine!" Luna snapped and slapped the cook's hand away from her. "And I don't need you to help me up! I can get up on my own!"

"I didn't mean to imply that you couldn't," Sanji said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Whatever," Luna mumbled while she stood up from the ground. Brushing the dirt off her old dress, she turned away from them and headed off into the forest.

"Wait!" Neo called out.

"What?" Luna glanced back over her shoulder.

"We're going to have lunch," Neo said, pointing to the picnic baskets floating around in her winds. "Would you like to join us?"  
"No," Luna said flatly before disappearing into the bushes.

Neo sighed and let the girl go.

"She's not every friendly," Brook said.

"It's understandable with how everyone treats her here," Robin said.

"Neo, are you okay?" Sanji asked when he noticed his friend's upset expression.

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "I just wish I could help her in some way."

"Maybe you will someday," Chopper said, looking up at Neo. "Remember, it took a while for the Heart Pirates to get you to talk to them. You just need to connect with Luna in the correct way."

"The correct way," Neo said. "I wonder what that could possibly be."

"We'll figure it out. At any rate, we should head on back to the training grounds before the food gets cold," Sanji said.

"Okay." Neo nodded then lifted them all back into the air. A few short minutes later, she had them landing on the training grounds. She tilted her head when she noticed Law had taken off his shirt and hat at some point. His skin was glistening with sweat from his training and she was very glad they were out in the forest for this training where no one else was around. They settled down into watching Law and Zip finished up their training before the two walked over to them. She ran to Law when he got close enough. She wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled into his bare sweaty chest. "You stink."

Law chuckled. "Well, I have been training rather hard today."

"I know," Neo said, looking up at him. "I still love you though."

"Good to hear it," Law said, leading her back over to the others while Neo wrapped a cool breeze around them to dry him off and make him smell a little better. They sat down together and started eating their lunch with everyone else.

"So what happened earlier?" Neo asked. "Did you get upset? Or was I just dreaming?"

"I did get a little angry," Law said honestly.

"Why?" Neo inquired.

"Bao came by," Law said.

"Bao came by here?" Chopper asked. "Why?"

"He said he was just checking up on me and my training," Law said. "I took out his heart and squeezed it a few times."

"I'll bet he'll leave Neo alone from now on," Sanji said.

"That's scary," Brook said.

"It was," Zip said, shivering. "I had no clue Devil Fruits could do such things."

Neo hummed and looked down at the ground.

"You're not upset with me, are you?" Law asked.

"No." Neo shook her head before looking back up at him with a smile. "I'm just a bit upset that it had to come to that. I would kind of like to be his friend, but not if he's going to continue to try and come between us."

"I promise that's not going to happen again," Law said. "If he wants to be your friend, then he can be. But I'm not going to tolerate his childish actions anymore."

"I understand." Neo nodded. The group continued to eat their lunch for the next hour. Once full, she yawned and stretched out. Closing her eyes, she leaned against Law's arm and fell asleep.

Law pressed a kiss into her hair, wishing his could take her back to the apartment and lay beside her. But he knew he couldn't. He still had training to do. He held her close for several more minutes before gently laying her down on the ground. He then warped his hat to his hand and put it on her so she'd have a little cushion. He brushed his thumb over her cheek before standing up and going back to his training.

…

The small group of pirates remained at the training ground so Neo could rest. They watched Law's training, a few catching their own naps, until the blue haired girl woke up about two hours later. After watching Law for a few minutes longer, Neo, still wearing his hat, announced that she was ready to go back to the library so she could read some more. So they spent the rest of the afternoon in the library until it was time for them to go back to the apartment. Carrying both the books she checked out and her friends, Neo flew them all back to the training ground to pick up Law. She offered a ride to Zip, but he said he was going to train for a little while longer before heading home. So they parted ways and headed back to the apartment where some of the crew was hanging out already.

"Hey! Neo!" Luffy waved happily to them when they arrive.

"Welcome back," Nami said.

"Hi, everyone," Neo said, landing softly on the ground. "Did you all have a good day?" She listened with excitement while they all said that they did, helping out around the town, going to the locate taverns, some just chilled out on the beaches, and other such events that you would find pirates doing. "That's good to hear. I'm glad you all are having some fun while we're here." She narrowed her eyebrows. "And staying out of trouble."

The pirates chuckled.

"Let me take those to your room," Shachi said, plucking the books out of the air.

"Thanks, Shachi," Neo said.

"I'll keep the medical ones with me," Chopper said. He pulled his four books out of the pile and placed them down on a chair.

Neo slid her hand into Law's. Leading him over to sit down, she curled up to his side, adjusting his hat when it tilted from her movements. "You still stink."

Law chuckled. "I'll go take a shower."

"And leave me?" Neo pouted at him.

"Would you prefer to smell me like this all night?" Law asked.

Neo hummed while she debated on that. She didn't want to smell him like this all night, but she didn't want to let him go either. "Well…"

"If I'm clean, you'll be able to groom me easier," Law said.

"Okay!" Neo chirped happily. "Just don't take very long!"

"You know I never take long showers unless you're with me," Law said.

"True, but I still want you to hurry," Neo said.

"I promise I will." Law nodded. He pecked her lips then warped himself up to their apartment room.

"Want to help cook?" Basil asked.

"Yeah." Neo nodded and stood up. Once she was with her secondary cook, she got lost in their cooking and didn't pay any attention to the time or how long Law was gone.

…

Law held to his promise like he always did. Once he got into their temporary room, he grabbed a clean pair of clothes and headed right for the bathroom. Within ten minutes he was turning off the water to get dress. Stepping out of the shower, he dried himself off and slipped on his clothes before warping himself back outside. His eyes went right to Neo. She was happily cooking with Basil so he shoved his hands into his pockets with the intent to sit back down and wait for her to rejoin his side. But as he walked over to their seat, the Straw Hat cook stepped in his way.

"Law," Sanji said. He pointed his cigarette towards the trees. "We need to talk." Law blinked, unsure of what this man could want to say to him. But he stood up and followed him anyway. Once far enough away from the group, he listened to what the cook had to say about what they had found out in the library. "I see."

"We didn't tell Neo about this since she's stressed out enough," Sanji said. "We thought if you wanted her to know it would be best coming from you."

Law nodded. They walked back over to their crews. Sitting down, he thought about what Sanji had told him. He knew they were correct in keeping this a secret from Neo. It wouldn't do her or their baby any good to worry her farther. So he chose to keep quiet about this for now. If she needed to know later, then they would tell her.

It wasn't long after that when all of the pirates had returned for the night. They sat around outside, enjoying the warm air of the day as it tapered off into the cooler night air. Eventually, the pirates began to wonder away from the group. Some headed back into the town to enjoy some drinks at the local taverns, while others decided they wanted to turn in early for the night. Basil, Penguin, and Sanji stuck around to clean everything up from their dinner while Neo and Law remained in their seat. Cuddled up together they enjoyed the quiet night surrounding them with the distant sounds of crickets singing their song.

"There's a lot of stars out tonight," Neo said, gazing up at the blanket above them.

Law nodded in agreement, pulling her closer to his warmth when she shivered at the chilly ocean air blowing through the trees. "Let's get you two inside. It's too chilly out here for you."

"We're fine, Law," Neo said, gently caressing her stomach. "I still have my fire crystals."

"Okay," Law said, settling back down. "If you'd rather stay out here than go inside where you can groom me. I won't-"

"Let's go!" Neo pulled Law up to his feet.

He smirked in victory to getting her to do what he wanted her to do without her really realizing it. Given that his tactic worked, he allowed her to pull him all the way up to their apartment.

"So can I groom you now?" Neo asked the second they both had their feet inside of the room.

"You're being very impatient," Law said, closing the door behind them.

"I can't help it!" Neo squealed. "You're just so cute as a snow leopard!"

"Oh? So I'm not cute when I'm human?" Law smirked at her.

"Law!" Neo felt her cheeks heat up. "Of course you are!"

"I know," Law said. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'm just teasing you."

"Meanie," Neo said, pouting.

"Hey, no pouting or I'll have to punish you," Law said, taking her chin in between his fingers.

"Fine," Neo said. "But you have to kiss these pouty lips first."

Law chuckled. He pressed his lips to hers. He deepened the kiss when he felt her melt into his touch. He ran his hands down her sides while her hands ran up his arms. He smirked when she tried to slip her tongue in between his lips. When she growled at his refusal, he parted for her, allowing her to stroke her tongue over his. Neither was in a hurry to break their kiss. It wasn't until their lungs burned with desperation for air did they finally apart from each other.

"Your kisses are always so wonderful," Neo said, her breath mixing with his. She nuzzled against his nose. "I wish I could kiss you all the time."

"You pretty much do," Law said.

"Then I want to kiss more," Neo said.

"So I'm getting out of having you groom me?" Law asked.

"Of course not!" Neo pulled away from him and narrowed her eyebrows. "Don't you dare try and weasel your way out of this!"

"Okay, okay," Law said. "I'm not trying to get out of this. I'm only teasing you."

Neo huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Very funny. Get your butt into your fuzzy guardian form. That's an order."

"Yes, _Captain_ ," Law said. Gathering his aura around him, letting his human body be taken over by his snow leopard form. The desire to run wild with Neo by his side reappeared inside of him. He felt his guardian's eyes on him. He reached out for it and asked, _"Was it you? Were you talking to me before?"_ He remained quietly waiting for an answer, but none came. He thought perhaps he couldn't speak with the creature like this. Maybe he needed Neo since she could speak to animals.

"So cute!" Neo, unable to contain her excitement, squealed again. She dropped to her knees and took Law's face in her hands, unaware of interrupting him from his attempt to speak to his guardian. "And your fur is just so soft! You have to sleep with me one night like this! You have to be amazingly fun to snuggle with in fur!"

 _'Neo, focus.'_

"Okay, okay," Neo said. "I'm trying." She stood up and went into the bathroom. When she came back she had her brush in her hand. "I'm ready!"

 _'You're going to use your hairbrush?'_

"It's not like I have anything else," Neo said. "I thought about buying another one for this, but there didn't really seem to be any point in doing that. Besides, why would I need another one? My brush will do just fine."

 _'All right then, groom away.'_

"Okay!" Neo sat back down on the floor, leaning back against the couch for comfort. She placed the bristles on Law's fur and started stroking him from the top of his head to the tip of his tail. She ran the brush over his fur several times in smooth strokes down his back, gently over his face, and over his legs and paws before she placed her brush down and started to stroke him with her hand while he laid his head in her lap. A small vibration spread across her thigh from his furry throat. Another squeal passed over her lips. "Law, you're purring. It's so cute. I love you so much."

 _'I love you as well.'_

"Thank you for let me do this," Neo said. "I feel really relaxed right now."

 _'Petting a dog often has the same affect and it soothes stress.'_

"I guess that's a huge part of why I always preferred to be around animals when I was on my own," Neo said. "I didn't realize it then, but being around them did make me feel more relaxed than when I was completely alone or around other people."

 _'It is. I'm glad you had animals to keep you company.'_

"Yeah." Neo nodded. She slowly raked her fingers through his soft fur, wondering if snow leopards felt like this or if Law was only this soft because he uses shampoo on his hair. "But I like it a lot more being with you, the crew, and the Straw Hats."

 _'Neo?'_ Law thought to her after a few minutes of silence.

"Yes?" Neo asked, slightly in a hypnotic state from stroke Law and his purring.

 _'There's something I want to try with you.'_

"Oh?" Neo glided her hand down to the tip of Law's tail. She paused. Her face flushed red when Law's thoughts passed to her. "You want to have sex as animals?!"

 _'I'm sorry.'_ Law lifted his head off her lap. He touched his nose to hers. _'I didn't mean to get sexual right now. And while that did pass through my mind, it's not what I wanted to do right now.'_

"O-oh…okay," Neo said, she released his tail and stroked him again. "What did you want then?"  
 _'Earlier I heard someone talking to me. I think it was my animal guardian.'_

"You heard Seal?" Neo asked.

 _'I believe so. But I couldn't get him to answer me back.'_

"What can I do?"

 _'I want you to become a snow leopard with me to see if you can hear him too. And see if you can speak to him.'_

"Okay then," Neo said. "Transform me."

Law nodded and spread his aura over her body. He watched patiently as her luscious dark skin was replaced with smooth fur. Once she had completed her transformation, he brushed his tongue over the top of her head. _'Are you all right, love?'_

 _"Yes, I'm fine. And so is our baby.'_ Neo released a content purr at his attention. _'So what now?'_

 _'Try and talk to him.'_

 _'I'm not sure what to do, but okay.'_ Neo closed her eyes. She connected her body and soul to Law as much as she could. Focusing, she slowly began to feel another presence around herself and Law. And it was coming towards them. _'Law?'_

 _'I'm right here. Open your eyes.'_

 _Neo slowly cracked her eyes open before fully opening them. She gasped at the sight before her. All around them was a midnight blue with tiny sparkles of white light._ _"Where are we?"_

 _"I'm not really sure," Law said. "I think we might be inside my mind."_

 _"You are correct," an unfamiliar voice said._

 _"Who's there?" Neo asked. She stepped closer to Law and wrapped her arms around him. She looked down at her body when she realized they were back in their normal forms. "We're not snow leopards anymore."_

 _"That's because you don't need to be them here," the voice said._

 _"I know you," Neo said. She looked up and peered into the darkness. As she stared into the void a soft blue aura appeared. It moved closer to them, taking more of a snow leopard shape the closer it got. "You're…"_

 _"That's correct, Princess," the snow leopard said._

 _"You're so beautiful," Neo said with a soft gasp, eyeing his snow white fur decorated with dark rosettes._

 _"Thank you very much, Princess," the snow leopard said, bowing his head to her. "You are quite lovely yourself."_

 _Law growled disapprovingly._

 _The snow leopard chuckled. "Of course you're very protective of her."_

 _"How do you know that and that I'm a princess?" Neo asked._

 _"Because I can hear what goes on around my cubs," the snow leopard said._

 _"Your cubs?" Neo asked._

 _"You, your mate, and your baby are my cubs," the snow leopard said. "I'm here to protect you both."_

 _"So cute," Neo said with a bright smile._

 _"Maybe to you," Law grumbled._

 _"What? Don't you like being called a cub?" Neo poked Law on the cheek._

 _"No," Law said flatly._

 _"Well, get use to it," the snow leopard said. "I'm here to take care of you and so I shall."_

 _"So you're always inside of Law," Neo said, bending down for a closer look._

 _"I am." The snow leopard nodded._

 _"That's great," Neo said._

 _"I knew you'd be happy about that," the snow leopard said. "And feel free to call me Seal."_

 _"You heard that too, huh?" Neo gave the large cat a sheepish grin. "Well, if you don't like it we could call you something else. Or do you have a name already?"_

 _"I did." Seal nodded. "And, no, I don't have a name."_

 _"I see. Then Seal it is," Neo said before covering up a yawn._

 _"I should let you go now," Seal said. "You're tired."_

 _"I am a bit," Neo said. "But we can stay a little longer."_

 _"If you wish." Seal nodded. "There is one other thing that I wanted to tell you all about."_

 _"What's that?" Law inquired._

 _"I can feel a great deal of death on this island," Seal said._

 _"Death?" Neo asked._

 _"What do you mean?" Law added._

 _"I'm not really sure, but a lot of deaths has happened here," Seal said. "I can also sense a dark presence that is completely cloaked in darkness and hatred."_

 _Law narrowed his eyebrows. Sanji's words from before pounded into his head. He wondered if it was just a coincident or if there really was something wrong. Whatever the answer was, he didn't want Neo to worry about it. So he kept a tight control over his emotions and thoughts._

 _"And I get the feeling that it's only going to get worse," Seal said. "Be careful here, my cubs. I'll do what I can to protect you, but it might not be enough."_

 _"I've felt strange about this entire thing since Law was forced to become a Summoner," Neo said._

 _"And you have the right to feel that way." Seal stepped closer to her and licked her arm. "But I promise I would let anything happen to you, your mate, and your own cub."_

 _"Our cub," Neo whispered. She lifted her hand up and placed it on her stomach. "I'm worried. But I know we'll be fine. Our crews can handle anything that gets thrown at them."_

 _"I hope you are correct, Princess," Seal said. He stopped licking her and touched his nose to her stomach. "Sweet little one. Be safe."_

 _"You're so sweet," Neo said. "I hope we can come see you again like this."_

 _"You can come here any time you wish," Seal said. "This place belongs to all of us."_

…

 **Author's Notes: I'm going to try my best not to make Law perfect in his training. I want him to be a little advanced because of his pirate background and being connected to Neo. Just hope I don't over do it and make it easy for him. Also, sorry if I'm missing a lot of mistakes. I'm trying to get better at catching them, but it's hard to focus when you're not getting much sleep.**

 **Sarge1130: You make good points. I think Law is the type that can learn something rather quickly. I just hope I don't make it too easy and quick for him. And he does have a bit of an advantage because of his connection to Neo and her connection to nature. That does have an affect on his skill level a little bit.**

 **Catiorro: Something like that. While he takes on the outer appearance of the snow leopard he's still very much human. They don't literally switch species.**

 **Apple Bloom: Thanks. You're awesome. We'll get more on Luna later.**


	14. Tension

Tension

A stiff grunt passed over Law's lips when his back collided with the ground for the fourth time within just the passed half hour. Pushing himself into a sitting position, he could feel the air crackling with tension from Neo's brewing storm. The temperature around them all had dropped considerably with the increasing speed of the wind. He was actually amazed that she hadn't fried Charger yet or blew him away with her winds. For three days now the Summoner man had been living up to his reputation of disliking pirates. Every chance he got, Charger did his best to knock Law down. And the buffalo did just that. Law was trying to control and guide an arrow around the training field while simultaneously keep an eye on Zip and Charger as the two Summoners attacked him. This part of his training proved to be a lot harder than manipulating his aura. He wasn't surprised.

Glancing over at Neo, he noticed that the pirate women and Chopper was doing their best to keep her calm. It wasn't working very well. Her bright blue eyes held a lot of distain for Charger. They were brewing with their own storm while another storm brewed simultaneously in the clouds above them. Straw Hat wasn't making things any better. He was finding the whole situation amusing for whatever reason. Pushing the lunatic aside, he knew he needed to calm Neo down. But he knew that Charger wouldn't let him stop training. It's been like that since they started this level. Neo, of course, didn't like it. Once he started training she only got to talk to him before training, during lunch, and after training. It was really wearing her down that she had limited access to him. He knew she was to use to always being able to touch him, to talk to him, or whatever she wanted. She was feeling threatened.

With a slow exhaled, he pushed himself to his feet. Looking directly at Charger, he said, "I _have_ to talk to Neo."

"You _have_ to train," Charger said. "That's what you're here for. You can chit chat with _her_ on your own time."

Law growled. He shared Neo's distain for this guy. The way the man kept talking about his love was rubbing him the wrong way. He had no idea if he was going to be able to handle him for very much longer.

"Come on, Charg," Zip said, snatching a wind blown leaf from the air before releasing it again. "Just give him a minute to calm her down. Or do you want to get fried by her lightning?" He looked up to the dark clouds in the sky. A shiver ran down his spine at the sight of the lightning flashing constantly through the clouds. There wasn't a single break in them. A whistle passed over his lips. "Amazing."

"She wouldn't be able to hit me even if she tried," Charger said. "We're not stopping training for anything or anyone outside of the Council. _She_ is not allowed to interrupt our practice sessions."

Neo snapped. There was no way she was going to stand for someone keeping Law away from her, even if he was still in her sight. Wrapping her winds around herself, she flew right at Charger. Engulfing her fist in her winds, she swung at his head, barely clipping his ear as he dodged her attack.

"Crappy pirate!" Charger hissed. "You're going to pay for that!"  
"You're going to pay for hurting Law!" Neo spat back. "I won't tolerate it anymore! Nor will I allow you to keep me from him! You're abusing your authority here!"

"I am within my authority!" Charger kicked at Neo. "I don't care what _you_ want or don't want! _You_ are not my _princess_! I don't have to listen to _you_!"

Neo lifted herself up, avoiding his kick. She then wrapped her winds around his leg and lifted him high into the sky. Quickly, she jerked him back towards the ground with the full intent of hurting him as much as she possible could.

…

"Oh dear," Ikkaku said while she and the rest of their group watched as their princess and second captain charged forward.

"Should we stop her?" Nami asked.

"Go, Neo! Go!" Luffy cheered when Neo swung her fist at Charger.

"This is no time for cheering!" Chopper snapped, smacking Luffy over his head.

"Do _you_ want to stop her?" Topaz questioned. "After Charger basically forbid Neo from the captain?"

"Not really," Nami said with a little nervous chuckle.

"It's best to just let Tra handle this," Robin said. "Neo's not suppose to be fighting in close range combat. He won't let this go on for long."

A mumble of agreements kept the pirates in their spots on the ground. Most likely Neo was too upset to listen to them anyway. So they relaxed and let Law handle the overly emotional girl.

…

Law sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. On a normal, not bring pregnant, day, Neo wouldn't have attacked Charger. Most likely all she would have done is glared at him and released several claps of thunder. But this wasn't normal a normal day. And she was pregnant. And she was attacking Charger head on, unknowingly breaking his orders because of her fears of him being taken away from her despite the fact he never would allow it to happen. He had to stop her before Charger managed to land a blow on her, pregnant or not, Elemental or not. Getting hit wasn't a risk he was willing to take with her. He exhaled. Shouting out to her, he said, "Neo, I order you to stop!"

Neo flinched. Her winds paused, Charger hanging a mere inch off the ground. Her eyes remained locked onto the small space between Charger's head and the ground. The desire to continue her attack was heavy in her chest. She wanted this _man_ to eat dirt. She wanted to see his head driven into the ground. But her loyalty to Law kept her from carrying it out. She felt Law coming closer to her. She didn't move until his hand found it's way to her wrist.

"Let him go," Law ordered.

Neo gritted her teeth.

"Neo," Law said in his captain tone, "release him."

She obeyed. Turning the Summoner back on his feet, she dropped him.

"Neo, I want you to leave," Law said.

"What?!" Neo whipped her eyes to him, jerking her wrist out of his hold.

Law didn't answer right away. He knew that was he was going to say next was going to upset her more than she already was. But she needed to leave. Swallowing, he said, "You disobeyed my orders. You know you're not suppose to fight in hand to hand combat while pregnant."

Neo flinched. He was right. She had attacked Charger head on rather than just using her crystals. "I'm not leaving."

"Yes, you are," Law said.

"I am not!" Neo snapped. "I'm staying! I don't trust _him_!"

"The feelings mutual," Charger said, smoothing out his windblown hair and clothes.

Neo stepped towards him only to be held back by Law. Her eyes remained locked on Charger while Law pulled her back over to the group she was with. When his body blocked her view she looked up at him. "What?"  
"I told you," Law said. "You're leaving. Right now."

"And I told you that I'm not," Neo said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"He's just a jerk. I'm not going to let him keep bothering you like this," Law said, matching her stance by crossing his arms.

"I'm not leaving," Neo insisted.

"Yes, you are," Law insisted back. "You're putting yourself under unnecessary stress."

" _He's_ putting me under unnecessary stress." Neo tilted her head in the direction she knew Charger was in.

"Love, I know you don't like people attacking me like that, but you know this has to be done," Law said.

"It doesn't have to be done," Neo said, glaring up at him. "Not like _this_. He has no right to keep me from you. You belong to _me_ not _him_."

"Neo, enough," Law said, despite silently agreeing with her. "We're not going to argue about this."

"We already are," Neo said.

Law sighed. She was right. They were arguing. He should have known it was inevitable. She was, after all, very protecting and possessive of him. And that was worse with her being pregnant. He didn't want to upset her anymore, but knew it was necessary. He would make this up to her later. "Neo, don't make me order you away from here."

Neo gritted her teeth again. Her bottom lips trembled as tears gathered at the corner of her eyes. She blocked herself off from Law when she felt him trying to wrap her up in his presence. She didn't want that right now. "Fine. I'm leaving."

"Neo," Law said, instantly feeling guilty about having to do this to her. He watched as she stalked off towards the town, her storm still rolling above them as she went.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Luffy called out. He jumped up and ran after his friend.

"I'm coming too!" Chopper announced, follow after Luffy.

"Don't worry about it, Captain," Topaz said. She and the rest of the women stood up from the ground.

"Yeah, she knows you're only keeping an eye on her and your baby," Ikkaku added, brushing the dirt off her clothes. "She's just being moody." She shot a glare over at Charger. "And rightfully so."

"I know." Law rubbed the back of his neck. "This was the correct decision. She'll calm down and come back to me when she's ready."

"You bet she will. Until then, we'll keep an eye on her as we always do," Nami said with a wink.

Law nodded in acceptance to the navigator's words. He watched them walk off before turning and heading back to his own training. Charger was glaring at him but he just ignored it. The Summoner wasn't worth fighting with. Besides, Charger was lucky that he didn't chop him up into pieces with how he went after Neo.

"Get back to work," Charger said. "Create another arrow and fire it. Same as before."

Law nodded. He engulfed himself in his aura. Holding up his hands, he formed a bow in his left and an arrow in his right. He placed the arrow in the string and fired it. Using his aura mask, he guided the arrow around.

"Let's step it up," Charger said. "Zip, create targets for him to hit and guide around."

"Fine," Zip said with a sigh. Extending his aura he shot out different size and shape objects for Law to work with.

Law focused on the arrow. He guided it through rings, around blocks, over blocks, and around aura trees and several other objects. Next thing he knew, his back was hitting the ground again. His lips curled down into a frown when Charger appeared over him. The man's aura was flicking wildly that matched the wild look in his eyes. The Summoner was enjoying this way too much.

"Gotta learn how to stay on your feet, _pirate_ ," Charger said.

Law growled. He was having second thoughts about having Neo leave. The storm above them suddenly parted, revealing the warm sun that had been hidden for the majority of the morning and afternoon. It was a clear sign that Neo had calm down, at least a little bit. Her feelings were still cut off from him. Still, he was satisfied that she had calmed down enough to dispel her storm. It was better for her and their baby.

"Get on your feet, _pirate_ ," Charger said. "You've already had your break. We're going until the sun goes down."

"Fine," Law mumbled under his head. His mind spun with several plans to knock this guy on his own back once he was well in control of his Summoner powers. He knew he could take him with his Devil Fruit. He just wanted to take Charger down on an equal level. And that meant using the same abilities against him. Set with a specific goal in mind, he picked himself up off the ground. He was now more motivated than ever to gain control over his Summoner abilities. Spreading his aura back over his eyes, he shot another arrow into the air. It was time to get back to work.

…

"Hey! Neo!" Luffy called after the blue haired girl.

Neo didn't slow down her quickened steps. She knew Law was only doing what he needed to do. That part was clear. Still, she was upset. It felt as if Law was agreeing with Charger rather than her. She knew that wasn't right. She was just having another mood swing and feeling rather possessive of _her_ Law. Maybe it was a good thing that she was forced away from his training. A small twinge of guilt twitched in her chest.

"Come on, Neo," Chopper said, rushing to join her side with Luffy. "You know Law is only doing what's best for you and your baby."

"I know." Neo stopped walking.

"So what's the problem?" Luffy asked.

"I'm pregnant," Neo deadpanned.

"I noticed," Luffy said. With a big grin on his face, he bent down to her ever rounding stomach. "Such a good baby. I can't want to meet you."

Neo sighed. Luffy was just as carefree as ever. She couldn't help but run her fingers through his jet black hair.

"You just can't get use to your hormones running wild," Topaz said. "Can you?"  
"No." Neo shook her head. "I hate it. I feel like I'm taking my frustration out on Law all the time."

"You're not," Ikkaku said.

"It feels like it." Neo brushed her hand on her arm. The cool winds were chilling her skin to the point she wished she had worn one of Law's hoodies. Exhaling, she banished her storm, hoping she didn't cause any trouble for anyone in the town. Since she didn't release any of her fury on the island anywhere, they all should be just fine. They probably were accusing the twins of releasing another storm anyway. She would have to check on that and make sure they weren't being falsely accused.

The clouds parted. The warm sun shone down on them, instantly warming everything and everyone up.

"Would you like to go do some reading?" Chopper asked.

"No." Neo shook her head. "I'm not sure what I feel like doing."

"Let's just wonder around town for a while then," Nami suggest. "If you see something of interest, we can do it. It would help clear your mind some."

Neo hummed in thought. She twisted her toes in the warm dirt under her foot before giving in. Maybe that would help her. "All right."

"Yeah!" Luffy cheered. "And we can get something to eat!"

"We just ate an hour ago!" Nami said.

"And I'm hungry again!" Luffy said.

"You're always hungry," Ikkaku said. "I'm surprised you Straw Hats ever have food around at all."

"And that's thanks to Sanji," Nami said.

"And to Franky," Robin added.

"Oh, yeah." Nami nodded. "Franky did put in the fridge with a lock. That's helped a lot since Luffy doesn't have access to the key."

"It's stupid," Luffy grumbled. "I'm the captain. I should have access to the food whenever I want."

"No you shouldn't!" Nami snapped. Pinching Luffy's cheek, she pulled it away from his head before releasing it. The reconnecting slap was barely audible over her loud voice. "If you did we'd never have food at all! We run out enough as it is! We've been lucky that we haven't starved to death because of your gluttony!"

"Whatever! It's boring here!" Luffy said. "Let's go into town and have some fun!"

"Okay, Luffy," Neo said. "Let's go."

"Yeah!" Luffy nodded. He then took off his hat and placed it on her head before taking her hand in his. "Let's go!"

"Luffy!" Nami called as her captain ran off with Neo. "Don't run with her like that!"

"Don't worry about it," Topaz said. "He'll catch her if she falls."

"He had better," Nami said.

"Might as well catch up with them," Chopper said. "We're going to lose them otherwise."

The group nodded and headed after the two pirates. Halfway back into town, Neo had finally summoned her wind crystals and flew them the rest of the way. The silence of the forest was quickly taken over by the chattering of the people. So many were bustling about trying to sell this or that, mothers pushing along their little kids while trying to shop, a few stray dogs and cats wondered about or just lazily napped among the chaos. A few of the Heart Pirates were sitting at tables, happily drinking or eating. Jean Bart was the easiest to spot since he towered over the rest of them. When his dark eyes spotted their little group, he waved to them.

"How's it going?" Neo asked once they were close enough.

"Great," Jean Bart said.

"You should see the women here," Conner said, his cheeks flushed from all the alcohol he had been drinking. "They're so beautiful."

"How many has he had?" Ikkaku asked.

"Women or drinks?" Jean Bart asked. A nervous chuckle released from his throat at the annoyed look Neo gave him. "Never mind. I'll make sure he doesn't drink too much more then take him back to the apartments to let him sleep it off."

"Good," Neo said with a firm nod.

"So what are you all doing in town?" Jean Bart asked. "I thought you were going to spend time with the captain."

Neo's shoulders slumped. Her expression became gloomy from being reminded of the fight she had with Law a mere eleven minutes ago.

"Did something happen?" Jean Bart asked.

"Yeah." Topaz nodded before filling the large man in on what had occurred at the training grounds.

"I see," Jean Bart said. "Perhaps I should go sit in on this training."

"That might be a good idea," Topaz said. Her eyes drifted from the man to Neo. She found her princess sulking in a squatting position and making circles in the dirt with her finger.

Jean Bart nodded. "I'll just take Conner back to the apartment and head over there right now."

"Thanks a lot, Jean Bart," Topaz said.

"Neo would thank you too if she wasn't too busy being depressed," Ikkaku said.

"Poor Neo," Luffy said, patting her shoulder.

"I'm fine." Neo stood up. "Thanks, Jean Bart. You're the best."

"Don't mention it. Come on, you." Jean Bart turned to his drunken shipmate. Easily he picked the man up and slung him over his shoulder. "Time for you to go to bed."

"Leavy mes a lone," Conner's voice slurred.

"Disgraceful," Ikkaku said with a shake of her head.

"Will he be all right?" Robin asked.

"Yeah." Ikkaku nodded. "He only gets like that when a pretty woman turns him down and he really, _really_ wanted to sleep with her. But usually he gets drunk at night. She must have been very pretty."

"Boring!" Luffy said. "We came here to have fun! Let's go to the amusement park!"

"They have an amusement park here?" Neo asked.

"They sure do!" Luffy said. "A lot of the Elementals run the place too. They have some amazing rides there."

"I'm guessing they use their crystals for a lot of them," Neo said.

"They do!" Luffy said. "A wind Elemental will fly you really high up into the air then dropping you down at an incredible fast speed! It's so much fun!"

"It does sound like fun despite the fact that I can fly on my own," Neo said.

"I think we should go," Chopper said. "An amusement park sounds like fun."

"You guys would spend all our money at an amusement park if I'd let you," Nami said.

"Well, we don't have to go today," Robin said. "We have plenty of time to go there some other time."

"What?" Luffy whine. "But I want to go now!"

"Oh, good grief. It's Sabaody all over again," Nami said with a sigh.

"Hm?" Neo turned away from her friends and looked out over the crowd of people.

"What is it, Neo?" Ikkaku asked.

"I feel aggression coming from a dog that's near Luna," Neo said.

"Luna?" Nami asked. "Luna's here?"

"She's close by," Neo said, heading away from her friends.

The remaining pirates exchanged looks before rushing after their blue haired friend. Before long they heard Luna's voice shouting out over the passing crowds. She said. "Stop it! Let me go!"

"Is someone hurting her?" Chopper asked.

Neo picked up her speed with the others close behind her. She weaved through the crowd, getting several bows from passing Elementals, but ignored them all. She could feel Luna's guardian animal stirring with in the young girl at whatever was threatening them. Her body jerked to a pause when a rather large group passed in front of her, cutting her off from her destination. Summoning a wind crystal, she lifted herself into the air to avoid being touched, not hearing her friends calling out for her to wait for them. High above the crowd she saw the white hair girl along with a black haired boy and a light brown dog. The boy had a hold of Luna's dress. A frown pulled down on her lips as she lowered herself to the ground again.

"You're such a freak!" the young boy's voice said. He pushed Luna away from him then pointed at her. "Get her, Scout!"

The dog growled, barked, and then bent down in preparation for attacking. Before he could launch himself at Luna, Neo placed herself between the dog and the girl. She gave the dog a firm look. Her head held high as her royal tone took over her normal voice. "Enough. I will not allow this to continue."

The dog whimpered, ducking down at the Elemental's presence and command she has over nature.

Neo let her voice softened. She didn't want to frighten the dog since his actions was controlled by his owner. "Easy, boy. It's not your fault. Your owner is to blame. It's not nice to attack people like this. Go on now."

"Hey!" the boy complained when his dog walked off. "Where are you going?!"

"You should know better than to have a dog attack people like that," Neo said, wrapping her wind around the boy so he couldn't run off.

"Let me go!" the boy demanded. "She deserved it!"

"No, she does not deserve it," Neo said.

"Is there something wrong, Princess?" a fire Elemental asked as he and the pirates rushed over to her.

"Indeed," Neo said, releasing the boy to the Elemental's custody. "He is misusing and abusing his dog and Luna. Take him back to his parents and see that he's properly dealt with. And do not let him have his dog back until he learns how to be responsible for it and himself."

"Hey! You can't do that!" the boy complained.

"Your actions have consequences," Neo said. "You're dismissed."

"Yes, Princess." The Elemental bowed and headed off to fulfill his orders with the boy tucked under his arm.

"Well, that was easy," Ikkaku said.

"Perhaps," Neo said, her voice back to normal. "But it remains to be seen whether or not the boy's parents properly punish him." She turned back to Luna. "Are you all right?"

"Why must you keep interfering?!" Luna demanded.

"Because I care," Neo said simply. Her answer seemed to catch the young girl off guard.

"Whatever," Luna said, adverting her eyes.

"A simple thank you would do nicely," Ikkaku said, crossing her arms. "What? You don't have manners?"

"That's rich coming from a _pirate_ ," Luna shot back.

Ikkaku's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. They might be pirates but they still knew how to say thank you when it should be said. Gritting her teeth, she said, "You little brat."

"You're a touch little thing, aren't you?" Luffy asked. "Do you want to join my crew?"

"Huh?" Luna blinked at the black haired man.

"I know you don't use your Summoner's powers, but you could still join," Luffy said. "I bet you're actually very powerful."

"Are you stupid or something?" Luna asked, adjusting the strap of her bag over her shoulder.

"So you're joining?" Luffy asked.

"I am not!" Luna said.

"Ah, come on," Luffy said, his grin never wavering. "It'll be fun."

"I'm not joining any pirate crew!" Luna said. "If you haven't noticed, I prefer to be on my own!"

"But why?" Neo asked.

Luna whipped her eyes back to Neo. Once again the Elemental's words seem to catch her off guard. "What?"

"Why do you want to be alone?" Neo asked. "It's no fun at all."

"I don't care," Luna said. "And I'm not exactly alone. I have my grandfather."

"Can we meet him?" Neo asked.

"You want to meet him?" Chopper asked, looking up at his friend.

"It's rare for you wanting to willing meet with someone you don't know," Robin said.

"I know," Neo said. "I'm just curious. I guess." She smiled at Luna. "You seem like a nice girl."

"Whatever," Luna said, tossing her head to the side. "I'm busy right now. So just go-"

"Hey, are these real bat ears?" Luffy asked, tugging on one of Luna's ears.

Luna moved to snap at the pirate. They all braced for her yell, but it never came. Instead the girl leaned into Luffy's touch, seemingly enjoying having her ear tugged.

"Is that normal?" Nami asked.

"I don't know," Ikkaku said, studying the young girl's expression of bliss.

"I don't recall ever hearing bats like their ears tugged," Neo said.

"Well, maybe it's different with her since she's human with the powers of Summoners?" Topaz asked.

"That might be a possibility," Chopper said. "Animals are each different and unique from each other just as people are."

"Law did purr when I was stroking him before," Neo said.

"What does that matter?" Ikkaku smirked. "You can get the captain purring at any point in time."

Neo felt her cheeks flush. She shifted awkwardly under their gazes and snickers. They were right. She can get him to _purr_ at any point in time. He didn't need to be in a cat form at all.

"So what are we going to do with her?" Robin asked.

"She looks almost like she's in a trance," Ikkaku said.

"She so cute," Luffy said, now stroking and lightly tugging both ears.

A loud rumble of hunger released from the girl's stomach. She was blissfully unaware of it while she leaned in even more to Luffy's attentive touch.

"It's well after lunch," Neo said. "Shouldn't she have eaten by now?"  
"She could be on her way to having a late lunch," Topaz said.

"We should take her to get something to eat," Neo said. "Luffy, release her."

"Do I have to?" Luffy asked, looking up at Neo.

"Yes." Neo nodded. "We're going to go eat."

"Okay!" Luffy released the girl's ears.

"That was…um…" Luna looked around, her eyes still cloudy with euphoric daze.

"I wonder if she even knows what happened to her," Ikkaku said, examining the girl's eyes.

"It doesn't look like it," Robin said.

"That's odd," Chopper said.

"We were going to get something to eat," Neo said, bringing the girl's eyes to her. It was the first time that she noticed Luna's eyes was a light lavender color. The color combined with her white hair gave the young girl a magical look. "We want you to come with us."

Luna's eyes instantly snapped back to normal. Her lips curled into a frown while her eyebrows drew together in annoyance. "No. I'm not hungry."

"You're stomach says otherwise." Ikkaku, with her hands planted on her hips, leaned down to the girl so she was eye level with her. A victorious smile played on her lips when the girl's stomach rumbled in agreement.

"You're hungry," Luffy said.

"I am not!" Luna snapped. Her cheeks flushed when her stomach rumbled in betrayal.

"Come on. Come eat with us," Luffy said. "We're not leaving until you come with us."

Luna sighed.

"You've seen Straw Hat around town, haven't you?" Ikkaku asked.

Luna nodded.

"Then you know saying no to him isn't an option," Chopper said.

"Fine!" Luna said. "But I get to pick the place we eat at!"

"I don't see why not," Neo said. "Does anyone have any objections?" No one objected. "Where do you want to go?"

"It's a restaurant called Chez Skylight," Luna said.

"Chez Skylight?" Topaz asked.

"You've heard of it?" Neo looked at her sister.

"Yeah." Topaz nodded. "It's one of the most fanciest restaurants on the island. Rather expensive."

"I see," Neo said.

"You said I could pick out wherever I wanted to go," Luna said.

"And we meant it," Neo said.

"You…" Luna clammed her mouth shut, but her eyes said it all. She wasn't expecting them to agree with her so easily. She spun on her heels and marched away. "Fine. It's this way."

The pirates followed after her. No words were spoken between the pirates as they followed after their small, white haired leader. The only ones who spoke were the people they passed by. It reminded Neo that she was suppose to be listening in on people to see if they were blaming the twins her for her storm. So she shifted her focus. Sliding her hand back into Luffy's so he could guide her, she looked out around the crowds. She heard typical everyday talk about the weather, training for those who were Summoners, washing clothes, what was going to be prepared for supper, but nothing about the twins. She found it a bit odd then thought that maybe they didn't blame the twins at all for the storms that came their way unless they knew for sure the twins had a hand in it.

"Here we are," Luna then said.

Neo brought her attention from the crowds to find they had walked a considerable distance. They had reached the sea. The white building was built in the perfect location to watch the sunset. She breathed in the salty air. "We probably should have asked if you wanted to bring your grandfather."

"No!" Luna snapped.

"Why not?" Ikkaku asked. "He needs to eat as well, doesn't he?"

"He is none of your business," Luna said. "But, if you must know, he's not feeling well today. So he wouldn't have come out anyway."

"That's a shame," Neo said. "Maybe we could go visit him later? Chopper here is a really good doctor and I have my solar-"

"No!" Luna glared at them. "You stay away from my grandfather!"

"She's such a brat," Ikkaku said. They all watched the white haired girl march into the restaurant without another look at them.

"You're right," Nami said. "We're just trying to be friendly and she does nothing but snap at us."

Neo sighed. She looked up when Robin's hand landed on her shoulder.

"Let's go," Robin said.

"Okay." Neo nodded.

They proceeded to enter the building. An excited gasp left Luffy's lips as they scanned their eyes over the interior of the building. It was way fancier than anything they have ever been in. Thick pearl columns were carved with marine life, crystal chandeliers were hanging down from the ceiling, one was very large and right in the middle of the room, and the rest were smaller but just as beautiful. All the guests were dressed in elegant dresses and tuxedos. The waiters were also dressed in black suits with white gloves as they scurried along to give their tables their meals and drinks.

"It smells so good in here," Luffy said, sniffing the air.

"I think we're a bit underdress," Nami said.

"Who cares?" Ikkaku said. "We're pirates. We dress how we feel like."

"Good point," Nami said. "And there's no sign saying we _have_ to dress up."

"Welcome to Chez Skylight," a nicely dressed man said. He eyed their clothing, clearly disapproving of their choices in attire. "Are there more joining you today or is this everyone."

"This is all of us," Luffy said.

"Very well." He tucked the correct number of menus under his arm then gestured for them to follow him. "Please, this way."

The pirates followed him.

"Why do you two keep holding hands?" Luna suddenly asked while they weaved through the tables and chairs. "People said you're married to that other guy. The one who was forced to become a Summoner."

"I am married to Law," Neo said.

"Then why hold hands with a man who's not your husband?" Luna asked, genuinely curious.

"Because Neo's my friend," Luffy said, pulling the blue haired girl closer to him. "She's also the goddaughter of Shanks. He's the one who inspired me to become a pirate. They're both important to me. So I have to protect her, Tra, and their baby."

"Okay," Luna said.

"Here you go," the man said. The pirates and Summoner scooted into the booth then took the menus from the man as he passed them out. "Your waiter will be with you momentarily." He then walked off.

"It all looks so good," Robin said, staring at her menu.

"And expensive," Ikkaku said, eyeing the prices. "A thousand berries for a plate of fish and pasta?"

"I don't think the prices will be a problem," Neo said.

"How so?" Ikkaku looked up at her. Her eyes drifted over to the person walking up to them. It took her a second to register the man as an earth Elemental.

"Princess." He bowed. "It's an honor to have you here."

"Thank you," Neo said.

"I shall inform the cook immediately," he said.

"That's fine," Neo said, not bothering to try and stop him.

"What shall you all have to drink?" he asked. He nodded while scribbling down their drinks then rushed off to put them in.

"We should have known that Elementals were working in here," Nami said.

"These seats are so soft and bouncy," Luffy said, bouncing up and down on the thick cushion. "I want some of these on the Sunny!"

"Yeah!" Chopper agreed as he bounced as well. "Out on the deck so we can bounce on them!"

"You two," Nami said with a frustrated sigh. "We could drop you in the middle of a desert and you'd still find something to play with."

It wasn't long after that when their waiter came back with their drinks. They put in their order and he hurried off to make sure he got it in as quick as he possibly could.

"So, Luna," Robin said, "do you have any favorite hobbies?"  
"Why are you asking me that?" Luna asked.

"Just making conversation until our meals arrive," Robin said, smiling softly. "I like to read. I'm an archeologist."

"I like to annoy my fellow crewmates," Ikkaku said. "It's great to see their faces when a woman bests them at something."

"I'm a doctor," Chopper said. "I also love cotton candy."

"I grown tangerines trees," Nami said.

"You grow trees?" Luna asked. "I thought you were a pirate."

"I am," Nami said. "But we have space on the ship for growing trees."

"Seriously?" Luna's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You should come by and see the Sunny some time," Luffy said. "You'll love it. Franky built it. It's amazing!"

"And what about you three?" Luna asked. "What are your hobbies?"

"Believe it or not, I actually like cleaning," Topaz said. She chuckled when Luna gave her a skeptical look. "It's true. I was actually a maid back on our home island of Luminous. So I guess you could say that my hobby is taking care of Neo."

"I just like having fun," Luffy said.

"Not surprising," Luna mumbled. She looked at Neo, quietly watched her for a few seconds then asked, "What about you?"

"I like to read, cook, and take care of my family," Neo said.

"Cook? Not something I'd figure a princess would do," Luna said.

"I didn't grow up as a princess," Neo said. "I actually…lived among humans. They weren't exactly nice to me because I'm different from them. But then Law found me. He and the Heart Pirates raised me into the woman I am now."

"Okay then," Luna mumbled. She turned her eyes down to the table and tried to look bored. But she couldn't keep from looking up at Neo occasionally.

"So what about you, Luna?" Robin asked again. "Is there anything you like to do?"

Luna shrugged. "Read, I guess. My grandfather likes to read so we have quite a few books at home. I don't really have time for anything else."

"Hm? Then what else do you do?" Luffy asked.

"Nothing." Luna shrugged again.

Nami, Robin, Topaz, and Ikkaku all exchanged looks. To them something about what the girl didn't sit right.

"You must get lonely," Neo said, feeling for the girl.

"I'm not that lonely," Luna said, stirring her drink with her straw. "I still have my grandfather."

Neo nodded slowly.

Then their food came. Luffy instantly dove into his hot meal while everyone else ate more slowly. Luna picked at her meal. Her eyes couldn't help but watch the rubber man shove food after food into his mouth. She asked, "Is he even tasting the food?"  
"Who knows?" Nami shrugged.

"I've never seen someone eat so much," Luna said.

Luffy mumbled something from behind his mouthful of food.

"What?" Luna slid her hand off the table and pushed it into her bag, a move that the majority of the pirates caught.

Luffy swallowed. "I said, the food is so yummy. I'm going order another round. But it's no where near as good as Neo, Basil, and Sanji's cooking. You should try their food some day. Hey! You can do it when you come see the Sunny!"

"No thanks," Luna said, returning her hand to the table. "I'm not interested. I've already agreed to eat with you here. That's enough."

"So when you coming?" Luffy asked.

"Did you hear me?!" Luna snapped. "I'm not coming to see your stupid ship!"

"Why not? We're friends, aren't we?" Luffy smiled.

"What?" Luna asked, her face filled with disbelief and confusion. "That doesn't make any sense at all. We don't even know each other."

"Of course we do," Luffy said. "We're talking and having lunch, aren't we?"

"Yeah, but that's not…it doesn't mean that we're…" Luna glanced down at her plate, which was almost empty.

"We won't push you into doing something that you don't want to do," Robin said, drawing the girl's eyes to her. "But we would like to be your friends. The majority of us know what it's like to feel so alone, especially Neo here. You two are actually a lot alike."

"We are?" Neo asked.

Robin nodded. "You are."

Luna rolled her eyes. "I'm nothing like her."

"You two like to read," Luffy said. "You're alike."

"A lot of people like to read," Luna said. "It doesn't make them alike."

"Perhaps not," Neo said. "But being treated like a freak does."

Luna stared at Neo for a while before quickly finishing her meal. She hopped up to her feet and bolted for the door. "I'm done. And I'm leaving."

"Hey! Wait!" Luffy called. But the girl was gone.

"She's probably in a hurry to take her food back to her grandfather," Robin said.

"What do you mean?" Neo asked.

"You didn't notice?" Topaz asked.

"Noticed what?" Neo blinked.

"Luna kept sneaking food into her bag," Nami said, taking a sip of her drink. "They must not have much money."

"Luna is rather skinny as well," Chopper said.

"I didn't even notice," Neo said, feeling guilty.

"Don't worry about it," Chopper said. "She can obviously hide it very well."

"We should have just ordered some extra and gave it to her," Ikkaku said, draping her arm over the back of the seat. "But then she probably wouldn't have excepted it since she's so independent and stubborn."

"We really should find out where she lives and check in on her and her grandfather," Neo said. "If she's really that thin, they must be very low on food."

"I'll ask around," Topaz said. "Surely someone knows something."

"Thanks, Topaz," Neo said. "Chopper, if we do get to go see them, I'd like it if you'd give them a thorough check up."

"Sure thing, Neo." Chopper nodded.

…

"So what should we do now?" Chopper asked once the group left the restaurant.

Neo sighed. "I miss Law."

"Do you want to go back to him?" Topaz said. "I'm sure he's calmed down now."

"No." Neo shook her head. "He doesn't want me there. And I really don't feel like watching _that guy_ attack him like he was. I'll apologize to him later. I'm still a bit upset with him for making me leave and I'm still blocking myself from him."

"Hey, it's the Tornado Twins," Ikkaku announced. The group looked up to see the two wind Elementals walking through the crowd at an uncharacteristically slow gate. "What's with them?"

"Aura? Era? Is something wrong?" Neo asked when they were close enough.

"Yeah." They nodded.

"What happened?" Nami asked.

"A classmate of ours passed away," Era said.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Nami said. "Was she or he sick for long?"

"No," Aura said, narrowing her eyebrows. "Well, for about two weeks I guess."

"What happened? You look confused about something," Neo said.

"It's something he said before dying," Era said.

"He was talking about some shadow figure in his dreams," Aura said. "He said that it was attacking him, ripping his very soul away from him."

"The strangest thing about that is others have said that exact same thing before dying," Era added.

"What caused them to die?" Chopper asked.

"No one knows," Era said. "None of our doctors, even the Elementals, can figure out why people keep dying like this."

"Mysterious, deadly illness," Ikkaku said.

"What are their symptoms?" Chopper asked. "Maybe I've heard of the illness before."

"Well, it starts off when you feeling very drained of life," Aura said. "You just have no energy at all. It gets worse as the days go by. Then you're completely bed ridden. Dark patches appear on your skin, dissolving it away inch by inch."

"You lose your appetite too," Era added. "And drop weight like crazy."

"Chopper?" Luffy looked down at his doctor.

"I've never heard of something like that," Chopper said. He looked up at the two Elemental pirates. "What about you two?"

"I don't believe Law has ever spoke about something like this before," Neo said.

"I've never heard of it either," Topaz said. "But then I spent most of my life on Luminous."

"Perhaps this is a new disease that hasn't been studied enough to find a cure," Chopper said.

"Possibly, but I doubt it can be cured," Era said.

"Why would you say that?" Chopper asked.

"Because it's been on Zion for several generations," Era replied. "It's only here lately that it's running so rapidly. It's almost to the point of someone dying each day from it."

"Yeah." Aura nodded. "It's like there's a sudden outburst of the plague or something."

"Well, as much as we would like to hang around a bit more," Era said, "we really need to get going. We're heading over to our friend's house to spend sometime with his family."

"All right then," Neo said. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you, Princess," they said before walking off.

"This illness sounds really serious," Ikkaku said as they walked on. "It sounds like it just keeps getting worse too. The captain's not going to be happy about this."

"Surely the island would be in some state of alert if it was that bad." Nami looked around. "But everyone is just going on about their daily business. Maybe it's not as bad as the twins made it sound?"

"That's a possibility," Robin said. "But after having several generations or so to discover what this is you'd think they'd have a name for it by now or at least know what's causing it."

"Great, now I'm worried even more," Neo said. "I don't want any of my babies getting this."

"Don't worry, Neo," Topaz said, linking her arm through her princess's. "It'll be fine. Even if one of us does catches it you know the captain will do everything he can to save us."

Neo nodded, feeling a little better.

"Yeah! So let's go have some fun now!" Luffy said.

They all agreed. Soon the group was lost inside of the crowds. They went to a few shops, letting Luffy and Chopper goof around with hats and other items before finding themselves back at the center of the town. A band had set up and was playing a joyful tune.

"Let's dance!" Luffy took Neo's hand once more. He pulled her out to an open area and started dancing around with her. A few minutes later, several other people were dancing with them as well. Brook and three of the Heart Pirate musicians appeared and joined in with the band. The songs became livelier for several songs before tapering off into a few slower songs so people could rest their feet. Neo was still dancing with Luffy when someone tapped him on the shoulder. They both looked up to find Elek.

"Mind if I cut in?" Elek asked Luffy.

"Sure. Are you fine with it, Neo?" Luffy asked.

"Uh, I guess so," Neo said with a small nod.

"Okay then," Luffy said, stepping out of the way. "But I'll be watching. Neo belongs to Tra."

"Of course," Elek said. They watched the rubber man walk off before he held out his hand to her.

Neo, hesitating only slightly, placed her hand in his. She relaxed when he placed his free hand lightly on her left hip, clearly keeping a comfortable distance between them. "You haven't been around much lately."

"Sorry," Elek said. "I've been a bit busy now that I'm back."

"I can understand that," Neo said. "This is your home so of course you have things to do."

"I am glad that I ran into you," Elek said.

"Oh?" Neo tilted her head. Curiosity plagued her eyes and mind on what he could possibly want with her.

"If it's all right with you," Elek said before pausing, "I'd like to ask Topaz out on a date."

"You want to date my sister?" Neo blinked. Her mind seemingly went blank. While she was somewhat use to her brothers sleeping around with women occasionally, she couldn't wrap her mind around her sister, her only Elemental sister, actually dating someone. They never ever stayed on an island long enough for any of them to actually form meaningful relationships dealing with intimacy. Now they were on an island for an undetermined amount of time. Any one of them could actually build a real relationship here. And Topaz and Elek clearly like each other. Still, her brain refused to accept it or even understand it. Her heart pounded against her chest. Her hands became sweaty, her head spun, and her knees weakened a bit. This probably was something she should have seen coming.

"Neo?"

Neo blinked. Her eyes came back into focus and she found herself staring into Elek's worried eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Elek said, his eyes relaxing a little. "I don't want you to feel like I'm pushing you back into a corner. You can take time to think about this. All I wanted to do was ask you that. I have no intention of coming between you and your sister. And I certainly don't want another episode like we had on the sub. If you're comfortable with it, I really would like to take her out on a date. But if you're not, then I'll understand and won't ask again."

"I don't…I don't know," Neo said, dropping her eyes to their feet. They were still dancing.

"There's no rush," Elek said. "Just think about it for a while. Would you…do that?"

They stopped dancing. Neo was still staring down at their feet. She didn't know what to think. She locked eyes with him. "I'll…I'll think about it."

"Thank you." Elek lifted up her hand and placed a gentle kiss on it.

"Ah! Neo, my darling!" Sanji's voice rang out over the music. The two looked to see the blonde man spinning over to them. "I've been wondering where you were! You look so beautiful!" He paused and held out his hand. "Mind if I cut in?"

"Go right ahead," Elek said, smiling.

"That's very kind of you," Sanji said, taking Neo's hand.

"Thank you for the dance, Neo," Elek said. "It was an honor."

"Uh, sure," Neo said, unsure of what to say. "You should…you should ask Topaz to dance."

Both men looked at her with slightly confused glances.

"Are you sure?" Elek asked.

"I'm sure." Neo nodded. "I think she'd like it."

"Thank you, Neo." Elek smiled. "I think I'll do that."

Neo nodded. She watched Elek walked over to her sister. She nodded when Topaz gave her a confused look after Elek asked her to dance. A small smile twitched at the corner of her lips when Topaz, eyes beaming, stood up and walked out onto the dancing area. Feeling a bit possessive and jealous, she turned back to Sanji. Mentally counting to ten while taking slow, measured breaths.

"Are you all right, Neo?" Sanji asked.

"Yeah." Neo nodded despite the unsure and possessive feelings stirring inside of her. "It's fine. It's just dancing."

Sanji began to move her around on the ground. "It doesn't look like that's all."

"It's not," Neo said. "Elek asked me for permission to take Topaz out on a date."

"I see," Sanji said. "So what are you going to do about it?"  
"I don't know," Neo said. "I've never had to deal with something like this. We never stay on islands long enough for this stuff to happen. And I'm…"

"Still feeling a bit possessive of her because she's your sister," Sanji concluded.

Neo nodded.

"You know you have the option of saying no," Sanji said.

"I know. But I feel bad when I think about telling him no," Neo said. "I know that they like each other. And I know Topaz would like to go out with him. Elek is a nice guy. I have gotten to know him better. I just don't want to lose her. What if they get really serious? What if they want more than just a date or two?"

"That's a possibility," Sanji said honestly, feeling her jump at his words. "But you know that she'll never abandon you."

"I know," Neo said. "I just don't want her to get hurt. We're going to have to leave soon. And that mean's leaving Elek."

"Just think about it for a while," Sanji said. "Talk to Law about it."

"Maybe I should," Neo murmured.

…

Law's chest heaved up and down. His skin was glistening with sweat. He tipped his water bottle over his lips and drank down the contents. While dabbing the towel to his face, he caught movement from the corner of his eyes. Looking over he saw Jean Bart walking towards them. With a quick meeting of their eyes, he instantly knew that the man had run across Neo. She had asked him to come here, or he suggested it himself. Either way he knew that the man's presence here would calm Neo down more. She was still blocking him from her thoughts though.

"Let's get back to work," Charger said.

"Or not," Zip said, pointing passed the large man now sitting on the ground. "We have another guest."

Law frowned when he saw who the man was looking at. It was Fatin. And the woman was wearing a dark purple revealing dress. This was the first time he had seen her wearing something other than her robe. And he knew she was doing it on purpose. It wouldn't surprise him one bit if she had people spying on him to look for the right opportunity to strike.

"Hello, gentlemen," Fatin said sweetly once she reached them. "How's the new Summoner's training going?"  
"He's doing just fine," Zip said.

"He would be a lot better if he didn't get so distracted by his _woman_ ," Charger said.

Law glared at the man but remained silent.

"I'm glad to hear that things are going so well," Fatin said, shifting her weight onto her left foot, purposefully revealing her well sculpted thigh to the pirate. "I knew you had talent when I first saw you. We'll have to spar one day when you've gotten better."

"No," Law said. "I'm not interested."

"I'm sure you'll change your mind," Fatin said, running her eyes over his exposed chest.

Law turned away from her. "Go away. I'm in the middle of something."

"It looks to me like you all are taking a break," Fatin said.

"We're done," Law said.

"Your break can last a little bit longer," Fatin said. "After all I came all this way just to see you. It would be rude of you to snub me."

"I haven't snubbed you yet." Law tossed her a smirk over his shoulder. Holding out his hand, he formed him Room. "But I can. And I guarantee you won't like it."

Fatin's eyes lost their glow. She shifted back onto both her feet and exhaled. "Very well then. You do have a lot of training to do. You all may proceed now. I shall be leaving."

"And don't come back," Law muttered to himself.

"Well, that was fun," Zip said.

"She really should be more professional," Charger grumbled.

That was one thing, and the only thing, Law could agree with him about. Fatin was one of the Council here. She should be looking out for all the people not trying to seduce him. He almost wished she would try it again so he could release his Devil Fruit on her.

…

Neo sighed as the elephant she was riding bounced up and down on the Merry Go Round. Her mind was locked onto Luna. She couldn't get the little girl out of her head no matter what Luffy and Chopper tried to entertain her with. They had been at the amusement park for three hours now. Mostly, Luffy and Chopper rode the rides. Some Neo knew Law wouldn't approve of her being on at all. She really didn't get the choice to go on them or not with all the Elementals around anyway. They all would express their concerns over certain rides they demeaned unfit for their princess to ride. It really didn't bother her that she wasn't allowed to go on many rides. She didn't feel like having fun. Not after fighting with Law and then with everything that happened with Luna. All she could see was how thin Luna was. It bugged her. A lot.

"You shouldn't worry so much," Robin said, placing her hand on Neo's shoulder from the horse she was on.

"I know," Neo said.

"But you can't help yourself because Luna reminds you so much of yourself," Topaz said.

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "I don't want her to end up like I did. It doesn't seem that there's anyone willing to take her in if her grandfather dies."

"I wonder how ill her grandfather is," Ikkaku said. The ride came to a stop and they hoped off. Once on the ground, they were met by a wind Elemental who had ice cream cones floating in her winds.

"Princess." The Elemental took to one knee. "I brought you and your friends some ice cream. It's rather warm out here today. Please, accept and enjoy this treat I brought for you. If I may, I made this batch especially for you. I heard that you do not like sugar all that much." She looked up, worry in her eyes. "Or am I mistaken?"

"You are not mistaken," Neo replied taking one of the ice cream cones. "I am not use to eating a lot of sugar." She licked the vanilla ice cream. It was creamy and smooth with just enough sugar that satisfied her. "It's very delicious."

"Thank you, Princess." Her eyes lit up.

"She's right," Nami said. "This is the best ice cream I've had in a long time."

"I agree," Ikkaku said, already with half her ice cream gone."

"If you would like, I could give you the recipe," the wind Elemental said.

"That's very sweet of you," Neo said. "But it's not necessary."

"Of course it is." She held up a piece of paper. "I already have it written down here. Please, take it. It would be my honor if you did."

"Very well then." Neo took the piece of paper. "Thank so much for your kindness."

"No, thank you, Princess." The woman's eyes sparkled with delight up on meeting her princess and giving the gifts she did. "If you would excuse me, I must get back to work."

"Yes." Neo nodded. "Of course. Thank you again."

"It was my pleasure." The woman bowed once more then scurried off.

Neo sighed. Her body was starting to wear down from the day, but mostly from all the attention she was getting from her people. She had no idea how much longer she was going to be able to handle this day. She wanted it to be over and she wanted a nice long hot soak.

"You look so tense," Topaz said.

"I am," Neo said with a nod. "I'm thinking about heading back to the apartment. I could use a long relaxing soak before dinner."

"You're not going to go back to Law?" Chopper asked, lowering his ice cream cone from his lips.

"No." Neo shook her head. "I think it's best that I didn't. I'm still not exactly happy with him, even though I know he made the right decision."

"You're being stubborn," Ikkaku said.

"Maybe I am." Neo shrugged with a smile. Her eyes landed on Topaz. Elek's question rattled around in her head. A hot bath would also help her relax and think more rationally about the Summoner's question. "But I do believe a nice hot bath would help me relax."

"As long as it's not too hot," Chopper said. He reached up and touched Neo's belly affectionately. "I don't want you two to get over heated. Maybe I should join you?"

"If that will make you feel better, Doctor Chopper," Neo said, patting him on his hat.

"It will." Chopper nodded.

"I want to join you as well!" Luffy said.

"Oh, no you don't!" Ikkaku and Nami said, each grabbing a cheek of the rubber man.

"Hey! Let go of my face!" Luffy said.

"Why would you even say that?!" Nami shouted.

"I can be with them but not be in the bath," Luffy said.

"Not happening!" Ikkaku said, stretching out his cheek as far as she could before releasing it.

"Ouch!" Luffy rubbed his cheeks after they snapped back into place. "Come on! Neo's my friend too!"

"That doesn't give you permission to join her in the bath!" Nami said.

"Why not?!" Luffy asked. "We'll be covered up with towels!"

"That's at a public bath! Not a private one!" Nami said.

"Sorry, Luffy," Neo said. "As much as I'd enjoy for you to join us, Law wouldn't be happy about it at all."

"Yeah, I guess so," Luffy said, putting his hands behind his head.

"How about we go swimming later in the sea?" Neo asked, knowing she would just form a bubble around the Devil Fruit eat and move him through the sea to enjoy what most never were able to.

"Yeah!" Luffy nodded.

…

 **Author's Notes: Geez, this chapter didn't want to be written.**

 **Apple Bloom: Thanks. I didn't know about the suspense. Glad to hear you're liking it.**


	15. Of Dreams & Naturae

Of Dreams & Naturae

"You're not going to come with us?" Neo asked as she faced her friends.

"No, I think we're going to hang around town for a while longer to see if we can find out where Luna lives," Topaz said. "It shouldn't be that hard to find."

"All right then," Neo said. "Be back in time for supper or call me if you make other plans."

"Yes, Mother." Nami winked. "We will."

Neo giggled while her friends waved to her and Chopper before walking off. She then looked down at her animal friend and asked, "Are you ready to go?"

"I sure am." Chopper nodded.

Neo nodded back. She summoned a wind crystal and pulled Chopper into her arms. Before she could lift them into the air, Bao walked out of a group of people right in front of her. She wasn't expecting to see him like this. She wasn't really sure what to say to him either, not after what Law did. "Bao."

Bao's eyes widened when he saw her. Without a word, he whipped around and disappeared back into the crowd.

"He didn't say a word," Chopper said.

"Yeah. I guess Law really scared him this time," Neo said.

"Are you all right with that?" Chopper looked up at her.

"I guess so." Neo dropped her eyes down to his. "I really didn't like him flirting with me the way he did. And if that's what it took for him to stop, fine. But I wouldn't mind being his friend."

"There's a chance you could still become friends," Chopper said.

"Maybe," Neo mumbled. "Anyway, let's get back to the apartment."

Chopper nodded again.

Neo wrapped her winds around them and lifted them into the air. They flew all the way back to the apartment on a gentle breeze. Landing on the balcony of her and Law's room, they met Teal. "Oh, hello, Teal."

"Good evening, Princess," Teal said with a smiled. Her smile grew brighter when she looked at the reindeer. Placing her hands on her knees, she leaned over. "Oh, you are just so cute. How are you this evening?"  
"Don't call me cute, you idiot! Of course I'm fine," Chopper said, wiggling in Neo's hold.

"You're just adorable!" Teal squeaked with pink cheeks.

"That he is," Neo said, feeling a warmth of affection growing in her chest for the doctor in her arms.

"And how are you, Princess?" Teal asked straightening back up.

"I'm doing fine," Neo said. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Teal said.

"Is there something wrong?" Neo asked. "We don't usually see you around here."

"No, it's nothing," Teal said, placing a hand on her hip. "I was just inspecting an apartment that had a leak in one of the pipes. It was easily fixed. I'm heading back into town to check on another apartment that someone is interested in renting."

"Oh, well, we won't keep you then," Neo said.

"See you two later," Teal said, waving at the two pirates before heading on down to the ground.

"She's nice," Chopper said.

"And an animal lover," Neo said.

"It's really obvious, isn't it?" Chopper asked.

"Yeah. I do wish we could see more of her around. I really like her. But I know she's busy with work so it's not really possible." Neo nodded. Turning to the door, she opened it then stepped inside. An uncomfortable loneliness settled in her chest upon entering the room. This was the first time she had been in this room without Law. She missed him, a lot. She hated that they had fought, but she wasn't ready to say she was sorry yet. Cursing her blasted hormones for messing with her, she headed over to the bathroom.

Summoning her water crystals, she filled the tub while setting Chopper down on the floor. After closing the door, she removed her clothes from her body. At that time the tub had been filled to the correct level. Forgoing a bubble bath, she stepped into the just right temperature then lifted Chopper into the water when he had disrobed and climbed upon the side.

"Ah, this feels so nice," Chopper said, sinking into the water on Neo's legs.

Neo nodded in agreement. While she would have preferred the water a little hotter than it was, it was still at a nice temperature that relaxed her body. The only thing that would make it better is if Law was here with her to enjoy it. She bit her lip to keep her tears from coming.

"You're still upset about fighting with Law," Chopper said.

She nodded again.

"Don't worry about it," Chopper said. "He'll be here in about an hour so you two can finally make up."

"Yeah." Neo looked up at the ceiling. The plant life around her looked and felt a bit dry. She was going to have to give it some extra water later. "I just wish we didn't fight at all."

"Fighting is just a part of life," Chopper said. "I would know. I've been in a lot of fights myself. And my crew fights a lot as well."

"I know," Neo said, bringing her eyes back down. "My fights with Law just always feel worse because of our bond. While fighting is normal and is going to happen, it still feels unnatural."

"I bet it does," Chopper said. "But you two always make up so quickly."

"Making up is the best and only good thing about fighting," Neo said.

"Then I'll be sure to make a quick exit when you and Law make up," Chopper said. "I wouldn't want to get in the way of _that_. And I'm sure Law wouldn't want me around _watching_ you two."

"Chopper," Neo said, her cheeks flushing at what he was implying.

"What?" Chopper asked innocently. "Do you think we don't know how exactly you and Law make up?"

"No, it's just…" Neo sighed. "I feel like such a sex machine now."

Chopper laughed. "It's natural for your relationship. Being pregnant helps a lot on that too."

"It does." Neo ran her hand over her stomach, noticing their baby had grown even bigger. She was ready for their baby to arrive. But then she wasn't ready for their baby to arrive. Sometimes she felt like she needed more time to adjust to the idea that they were having a baby. "My sex drive has increased since being pregnant. Law hasn't complained a bit either."

"Of course he won't complain," Chopper said. "He loves you."

"I know." Neo smiled. "He's just so amazing. I know he's going to have a head full of grey hair when he gets older because of me."

"I think he'll look good in grey," Chopper said.

Neo couldn't help but laugh. "I bet he will. Just don't let him hear you say that. I think he wants to keep his beautiful black hair for as long as he possibly can. I hope he does as well."

"That makes me wonder," Chopper said.

"Wonder about what?" Neo asked.

"About how Law will age," Chopper said.

"What do you mean?" Neo tilted her head and kneaded her eyebrows.

"Elementals age slower than humans do," Chopper said. "That means you'll always look way younger than Law. But you two are bonded. Do you think his aging process will slow down as well?"

Neo opened her mouth but found she had no response. She didn't know. Since their bond was unique to the record few, which only happened between Elementals, they had no idea how their bond would react to each other. After thinking about it, she said, "I think it's possible that Law will age slower than other humans. We'll know in the future what will happen to him."

"Yeah." Chopper nodded. "That is the only way to know."

The two then settled back down into the water to enjoy their bath together. Neo used her water crystals to manipulate the water into different shapes, entertaining them both for a while. She even floated Chopper around on a waterslide, unaware of how fast time was now going as they enjoyed their time together and gave the plants a drink while she was at it. Her mood had become better despite a still lingering wish for Law to be here with her.

…

Law sighed as he entered into their temporary apartment. He was a bit disappointed that Neo didn't come back to him. But he understood why she didn't. With her still blocking her thoughts from him, he knew that she wasn't ready to make up, at least not yet. He paused when he heard water splashing from the bathroom plus Neo and Chopper's mixed laughter. She was clearly a lot more relaxed now. He could tell that from the way she was laughing, her bells floating into the room and into his ears. Ready to make up with her, he headed directly for the bathroom. No one made eye contact as he walked into the room and sat down on the edge of the tub.

"Law, you're back," Chopper then said. "How did the rest of your training go?"

"It was hard," Law said. "I can't count how many times Charger knocked me down."

Neo sunk into the water and blew bubbles into the liquid. She didn't want to hear about _that_ Summoner or about Law's training anymore for the day. She had enough of it.

"I think I'll go now," Chopper said, sensing the remaining tension between the two lovers. He pulled himself out of the tub, dried off, and quickly pulled his clothes back on before making a hasty retreat out the door leaving the two lovers to their dissolving tension.

"Are you okay?" Neo asked a few minutes later.

"Yeah." Law nodded. "I'm just tired. That man was ridiculously ruthless."

"Yeah."

"I'm starting the next step of my training tomorrow," Law said. "I'm going to be working on the Naturae and summons."

"I see," Neo said.

"Are you still going to come with me?" Law asked.

"I guess," Neo said. "I'd like to see how you do with starting out on that. It could be interesting and fun to watch."

Law nodded. Silence one again engulfed them for a while.

"I saw Elek today," Neo said.

"Oh?" Law glanced back at her from the corner of his eyes.

"We shared a dance. A band was playing for a while," Neo said.

"I see." Law laced his fingers together, pressed his elbows to his knees, and leaned forward. "How did it go?"

"It was fine," Neo said. "I was a bit nervous, but it didn't last long."

"I'm glad to hear that," Law said, glad that she was comfortable with the man but also a bit jealous that she was dancing with him.

"He…" Neo shifted in the water. "He asked me for permission to ask Topaz out on a date."

Law looked back at her fully. "And?"

"I'm not sure," Neo said. "I'm worried. I know they like each other. I know Topaz would love to go on a date with him. I just don't want her to get hurt. We're going to have to leave this island one day. What if she goes out with him and their relationship develops into something more than just a mutual attraction? What if she gets the desire to stay here with him?"

"You know she won't do that," Law said.

"Because of me," Neo said with a nod. "She'll chose me over him."

"And that bothers you?" Law asked.

"It does a bit," Neo said. "She'll be picking me because I'm her royal."

"She'll pick you because she loves you, royal or not," Law said.

"But it's not fair to have her pick," Neo said. "I feel like I'm making her choices for her."

"I can understand that," Law said. "But you don't know what will actually happen. They might not have any other feelings for each other outside of their mutual attraction. The only way to know for sure is to let them date."

"And if there's more?" Neo asked.

"That's just something we'll have to deal with _if_ it happens," Law said.

"I hate this," Neo said.

"I know you do," Law said.

"What should I do?" Neo asked, finally lifting her eyes to his.

"I can't answer that," Law said. "This is a decision you have to make on your own."

"And you're suppose to be my captain," Neo said.

Law chuckled. "I am your captain. But I'm also your husband, your lover, your friend, but I am not your decision maker."

"You had no problem with that when I first came to live with you," Neo said, playfully glaring at him.

"You needed me to make your decisions for you then," Law said. "But you don't now. You're your own person who makes her own decision."

"Thanks a lot," Neo said.

"So are we over fighting?" Law asked.

"I suppose so," Neo said.

"Good." Law crossed his arm over to the other side of the tub for balance. He leaned down and captured her lips, stroking his warm muscle over hers in a heated dance.

"Now that's more like it," Neo said when he pulled away.

"Good. Now that that's settled," Law said as he started to stand up. But before he could get too far, Neo's vines wrapped around him "Neo?"

"I'm not done with you yet." Neo pulled him into the water with her, splashing the water over the sides and onto the floor.

"Neo, let me at least take off my clothes," Law said just before she pressed her lips back onto his and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"No," Neo said through several kisses. "I want you as you are."

"Neo, we can't do this clothed," Law said.

"We can't?" Neo pulled back from him a bit. "I recall plenty of times we've had sex with our clothes on."

"Yeah, but that wasn't…"

"Wasn't what?" Neo tilted her head.

"Never mind," Law said, knowing he wasn't going to get out of this no matter what he said.

"You're such a good boy," Neo said. She straddled over his legs, reclaiming his lips as he kicked off his boots and shifted his position so he could attend to her desires better.

His hands ran up her wet sides, feeling every inch of her before kneading her soft breasts tenderly.

She hummed against him mouth, spurring him on for more.

He happily obliged her. He tended to her every need and every desire for the next hour and a half before they finally pulled away from each other and took their real baths. They stuck together like glue after that, cuddling, stealing kisses, and sneaking sexual touches when no one was looking before it was time for them to go to bed. Curled up together, the two quickly fell asleep.

…

 _Neo looked around her unfamiliar dark surroundings, noting that she was in some type of cave. Strange symbols and words were carved into the cave walls and ceiling, each taking on a mysterious glow when she passed by them. One in particular caught her eye. Stepping closer to it, she tried to remember where she had seen it before. After about a minute she remembered it was the illustration she saw on the door to the Council's meeting room that she and Law went to. It struck her as odd that this drawing would be inside of a cave._

 _Pulling herself away from the drawing, she headed farther into the cave. She picked up her pace when she sensed that Law was near. Her love was somewhere inside of this cave. Suddenly, several tunnels appeared before her. She looked around at them before focusing in on where Law was. She found him. His presence was down one of the tunnels on her right. She rushed down in, a strong desire to get to him hammered into her chest._

 _Something suddenly felt like it was closing in on her. Another presence was inside of this cave with her and Law. She whipped around when she felt someone or something behind her. A dark shadow moved through the shadows of the cave. Her heart pounded in her chest. "Who's there?"_

 _The thing didn't answer. It just continued to move around in the shadows. Neo felt like it was watching her, studying her. She wondered if this thing was dangerous. She didn't really feel threatened by it. She mostly felt confused and a little scared. Her eyes followed it as it moved to her right and farther on down the cave tunnel. As it ran down the tunnel, she noticed it didn't really have a solid shape. It was like it was literally made of shadows, able to change its form if it wished._

 _Then it was out of her sight. She was left standing in confusion until she realized the presence was now with Law. She broke into a run. Her feet hit against the cave floor as silent as could be. She didn't notice. All she knew was she had to get to Law. She had no idea how much she had run, but eventually, she found Law._

 _He was standing in the middle of an open area of the cave. More of those strange carvings were in this room as well. Only these seem to be pointing to something, or someone. She had no idea why, but the symbols were leading right to Law. She continued to walk towards her lover. "Law? Where are we?"_

 _He didn't answer._

 _"Law?" Neo walked around Law. A startled gasp left her lips when she saw that he was once again faceless. A dark aura flared up around him. It unnerved her to the point she took several steps away from him. "Law? Law, what's going on?"_

 _Law turned towards her._

 _Her heart skipped a beat gazing upon his blank face._

 _"Law, is no longer here," a voice echoed through the cave. "He is now mine. And they will pay."_

 _"He's not yours!" Neo said. "He belongs to me!"_

 _"No longer," the voice said. "He is mine now. His destiny lays with mine."_

 _"Who are you?!" Neo demanded, summoned all of her crystals. "I won't let you take him away from me! You have no idea what we mean to each other!"_

 _"I don't care what you mean to each other," the voice said. "He is mind and there is nothing you can do about it. They must pay. And I cannot do it without this man."_

 _"They? Who are you talking about?" Neo asked. "Who are you?"_

 _"That is none of your concern," the voice said._

 _"You're threatening to take my bonded away from me," Neo said, clenching her fists. "Of course it is my concern. I won't let you take him. He'll never belong to you."_

 _"He already does," the voice said. "The second his Summoner powers were released, he was destined to become mine."_

 _"Law did not become a Summoner willingly. He was forced into this," Neo said._

 _"That is not my problem," the voice said. "He is the only one powerful enough to do my bidding."_

 _"And what is your bidding?" Neo asked. "Maybe I can help you?"_

 _"You cannot," the voice said. "You are powerful, Princess. But you cannot handle them."_

 _"You know I'm a princess?"_

 _"I do. The Little One has spoken on your behave. And I have no intention of hurting you."_

 _"If you're trying to take Law away from me then you are hurting me," Neo said. "And who is this Little One you speak of? What's going on here?"_

 _"Do not stick your nose into my business," the voice said. It started to fade away and so did Law._

 _"No!" Neo ran after Law. "Give him back! I won't let you take him!"_

 _"He is no longer your concern," the voice said. "Just leave this island at once."_

 _"No! Law! Come back! Law!"_

"No…Law, come back," Neo said in her sleep.

Law, sensing her distress, woke up immediately. He grabbed her shoulders, gently shaking her awake. "Neo, wake up. Wake up now. It's just a nightmare."

Neo gasped and sat up in their bed, looking around in her confused dazed state. Once she registered her nightmare, she covered her face with her hands. "Oh no."

'"Love, what is it?" Law asked. "What was your nightmare about?"  
"You, again," Neo said. "You were faceless again, inside of a cave, and was taken over by something."

"What something?" Law asked.

"I don't know," Neo said. "Maybe a shadow creature?"

"Shadow creature?"

"There was some kind of shadow in my nightmare," Neo said. "It was following me. I think it might have taken control of you. Something also spoke to me. It's after someone for some kind of revenge. These stupid nightmares. Why does this have to happen now? Why do you have to be taken away?"

"Just relax, love," Law said, pulling her to his side. "Whatever happens, it'll be okay. You didn't feel me dying, right?"

"No." Neo shook her head then pressed her eyes into Law's neck. "We're not going to die. But you are going to be taken away by something."

"It'll be fine," Law said. "I promise. Let's just go ahead and get dressed. It's not long before it's time for breakfast."

"Okay," Neo reluctantly said.

After sluggishly pulling herself around the apartment for ten minutes to get dressed, Neo linked her hand to Law's and headed outside where Sanji and Basil were busy creating breakfast. Like always the pirates expressed their concerns over Neo when they noticed she wasn't herself this morning. And she, like always, told them about her nightmare. So it was just another typical morning for the pirate alliance. They sat around, eating and talking before they started to split off from each other to do whatever they found interesting to do for the day.

"So what are you going to do today, love?" Law asked.

"Besides watching your training for awhile?" Neo said. "Chopper, Luffy, Tero, and Zoro are going to go exploring the forest with me."

"What?!" Tero and Zoro said. "We never agreed to that!"

"You're still going," Neo said with a smirk. "Captain's orders."

"Fine," Tero huffed while crossing his arms over his chest and slumping down into his chair. He glared at Shachi and Penguin when the men snickered at him for caving so easily to Neo.

"But you're not my captain!" Zoro said.

"I am too!" Neo stuck her tongue out at him before her eyes became misty. "Don't you want to obey your captain? You love me, don't you?"  
Zoro twitched while the remaining pirates snickered at him. He looked to Law for help, but the surgeon just closed his eyes and tried to force his smile away, knowing the swordsman would easily cave to her.

"Come on, Zoro," Neo said. She walked up to the swordsman and snuggled into his chest before looking up at him innocently. "I want you to come. I haven't spent much time with you here lately."

"Just go with her, you stupid moss head," Sanji said. "You're going to make her cry."

"What?!" Zoro snapped at the cook. "If she cries it's not because of me! It's because of her blasted out of control hormones!"

"I knew it!" Neo cried, tears pouring down her cheeks. She pulled away from him. "You hate me! And our baby! How could you?!"

"Don't make our baby sister cry!" Shachi and Penguin snapped.

"What?! I didn't mean to! Wait!" Zoro freaked. "No! That's not true! I do care about you and your baby!"

"Then why won't you go exploring the forest with me?!" Neo demanded.

"Yeah!" Luffy jumped in. "You have to go! Neo's your captain too!"

"She is not!" Zoro snapped.

"You do hate me!" Neo turned and dove into Law's arms.

Law shot a glare at Zoro for making her cry while placing his sword free hand on Neo's hair, stroking it to soothe her.

"Okay, okay," Zoro said, defeated. "I'll go exploring the forest with you."

"Yeah!" Neo pulled away from Law. Now happy, she bounced up and down on her toes.

"All right," Law said, placing his hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Settle down for our baby's sake."

"Yes, sir!" Neo chirped. Wrapping her arms around Law's, she snuggled back against him. "I love you all so much!"

"So silly," Topaz said. "Well, since we're done with breakfast, I think I'm going to take off now."

"Oh, Topaz, are you heading into town, aren't you?" Neo asked. "And did you figure out where Luna and her grandfather lives?"

"I did. I can't believe I forgot about that. They live on the edge of the town to the north," Topaz said. "Was there something you needed me to do?"

"If you happen to run into Elek, will you tell him I want to see him later?" Neo asked.

"You want to see Elek?" Topaz asked, clearly confused at her little sister's request.

"I do." Neo nodded.

"All right then," Topaz said. "I'll tell him that and that you're going to be at the captain's training for a while before going off into the forest."

"Thanks!" Neo hugged her sister. "You're the best!"

"See you later," Topaz said before heading off.

"You ready?" Law asked.

"I am!" Neo nodded.

"Me too!" Luffy cheered. "Let's go!"

"See you all later," Sanji said as he continued to clean up from breakfast with Basil.

"Behave yourself, Neo," Basil added.

"Of course I will!" Neo waved to them. "Thanks for breakfast! It was wonderful as always!"

"Why am I doing this?" Zoro asked himself while following after the other pirates.

"I've asked myself that multiple times since becoming a Heart Pirate," Tero said.

…

Landing at the training grounds, the pirates found there to be only one Summoner waiting on them. The man looked up at them when they had arrived. With a smirk, he said, "About time. I was wondering if you were ever going to show up."

"We always get here at this time," Law said.

"Really?" The man blinked. "Oh…I guess I'm early then. I was out for some practice myself earlier this morning and I guess I got done quicker than I thought I would."

"And you are?" Tero asked.

"The name's Art," Art said, pointing to himself with his thumb. "I'll be working with the new Summoner here on his Naturae training. It's going to be like nothing you've ever done."

"Why is that?" Neo asked.

"Because when a Summoner begins this training they have to fight against nature," Art said.

"Fight against nature?" Neo kneaded her eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure how to explain it, but here goes," Art said. "You Elementals are natural connected to nature. You're basically nature yourselves. But with us, we're still humans. We're not part of nature like Elementals are. So when we start out with our Naturae training the plants and ground don't always want to work for us. We have to learn how to harmonize with them I guess you could say. In my opinion, I feel like our auras give the plants and ground a bit of life where they can make their own decisions."

"I think I understand," Neo said.

"All right!" Art clapped his hands together then rubbed them like he was trying to warm them up. "Are you ready to start learning how to summon nature to your side?"

"Yes." Law nodded.

"Be careful, Law," Neo said with a peck to his lips.

"I will," Law said.

Neo nodded then walked a few feet away from the Summoners with her friends by her side. She, Chopper, and Luffy immediately sat down on the ground while Zoro and Tero remained standing. They all watched quietly as Law listened to what the Summoner had to say.

"Well, let's see," Art said. "We'll start off with a very basic summons. With this one, all you do is gather your aura in the palm of your hand like this." He held out his palm and gathered his dark purple aura into it. "Once you have it here and stable just turn your palm over and feed your aura into the ground and say, Flower of Naturae. I command you to rise up."

Law watched the ground. Art's aura soaked into the ground. Before long a small white petal flower sprout up inside of the man's aura.

"This is, as I said, the most basic of summons," Art said. "After some time you'll be able to summon things like chains. However, that will be a while considering summoning chains is one of the hardest summons to do."

"Why is that?" Law inquired.

"Because with that you're using the minerals inside of the ground to make the chains," Art said. "If I'm correct, then Elek and Bao used chains on you when your aura was released. Those chains don't technically exist in nature as chains. You have to make them from something. It's not like using vines as a restraint. Those exist already in nature. You don't have to create them. Understand?"

"Yes." Law nodded.

"All right then." Art nodded. "Let's see what you can do."

Law turned his palm up. Focusing he gathered his aura in his hand then turned it down to the ground.

"Now, focus through your aura," Art instructed. "Feel out for the Orb of Naturae. Harness its power within you then say the summons that I did before."

Law exhaled. His eyes locked onto his aura floating down to the ground like a glowing waterfall. Once his aura touched the ground, he said, "Flower of Naturae. I command you to rise up."

A small crack appeared in the ground. His aura wavered then disappeared, leaving only a crack in the ground.

"Not bad for a first try," Art said. "But I don't think you're connecting properly to nature with that one. Try it again. Try focusing on the beauty of nature. You're pulling up a flower. Flowers are beautiful."

Law tried it again. Recreated this aura, he did the steps again. This time a small vine slithered to the crack then withered away. He shot Luffy a disapproving glare when he laughed.

"Try again," Art said.

"Come on, Law!" Neo called out. "You can do it!"

Law relaxed and tried again. But once more only a small vine came out of the ground and instantly withered. His lips curled down at their corners. He tried again, then again, and once more. For several minutes he tried to create this flower. It just wouldn't happen. Glancing up, he found Art staring at him with his eyes expressionless. This man he couldn't read at all. He couldn't tell if Art was being patient with him or if he was annoyed at how many times he was failing at his suppose to be simple summons. It was causing his muscles to coil up with tension.

"I know you're still a new Summoner," Art said, "but this shouldn't be this hard. Come on. Try it again. Remember this is a flower you're creating. It's not something deadly. It's a simple flower out in the middle of a field."

Law mentally growled. It wasn't a hobby of his to picture flowers in fields. It wasn't possible for him. Not with how his life had been. Too much death and destruction, and even hateful revenge on Doflamingo prevented him from see any kind of beauty with flowers or nature.

 _"Relax, Cub," Seal said. "You're trying to concentrate far too hard. This is a simple exercise."_

 _"I know that," Law said._

 _"Get in touch with your softer side," Seal said. "I know you're having trouble seeing the beauty within things because of your past. But you have over come that part of your life. And it's thanks to one person."_

 _"One person," Law echoed. "Neo."_

 _"You got it," Seal said. "You're automatically connected to nature through her. So picture her instead of nature itself"_

Law closed his eyes and relaxed his body with a slow exhale. His dark mind, his dark memories instantly paraded across his brain. Then slowly, they were replaced with memories of Neo. He saw only her brightness, her child like curiosity, her innocence, their baby, and everything that connected her to nature. He opened his eyes. His aura gathered into his palm, he sent it down to the ground again. It pierced the ground. But he didn't call upon the summons yet. He just let his aura remain combined with the ground. He felt it. He could feel the world around him. He could feel the flowers opening up towards the sunshine above. "Flower of Naturae. I command you to rise up."

His blue aura flickered. Keeping his focus, he envisioned Neo using her earth crystal to create a small blue flower. A vine slithered out of the ground. The end of it hung over like an R before the vine lifted up towards the sky. A tiny bulb appeared. The green bulb began to change and open into a beautiful blue flower. Pulling back his aura from it, he smiled. The lesson was a success after twenty tries.

"Not bad." Art bent down to inspect the flower. "I wasn't expecting for you to do a blue flower. For whatever reason, people always call upon a small white flower. I think because of the color. Anyway," He stood up, "it doesn't matter. We can move on to the next step."

"And that would be?" Law asked.

"Summoning bigger plants," Art said. "And controlling them. Would you like an example?"

Law nodded.

"Every well then. This is what I'd like you to do by the end of this week or, at the latest, the end of next week." Art took a few steps back from the pirate. Engulfing himself in his aura, he began his next demonstration. "Vines of Naturae! Rise up!" A wall of vines grew out of the ground behind the Summoner. "Vines of Naturae! Vine Snap!"

Law's eyes widened when the Summoner created a wall of fifty vines. All engulfed in his aura, the Summoner snapped them out rapidly into the air with impossibly loud cracks, striking invisible targets.

"Vines of Naturae! Vine Course!" The Summoner then maneuvered the vines to create a complicated obstacle course to where he jumped onto one vine and ran through the course all the while still snapping out vines at invisible targets.

Law's legs became like rubber. There was no possible way he could manage to do all of this within just two weeks. This man had to be insane.

…

"How is he able to do that?" Neo said, watching Art's impressive display over the control he had on the vines around him.

"I don't know," Chopper said.

"So cool!" Luffy said, shivers of excitement running up and down his entire body.

"I see why he's one of the best here," Tero said.

"Whatever," Zoro said. He laid down on the ground with his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. "Wake me when we're about to head off into the forest."

…

"See? It's easy," Art said as the vine retreated back into the ground.

Law just stared at the man.

"Well, it will be easy when you get more advanced in your training," Art said. "For now, let's just get you use to one vine."

"Fine," Law said.

"For this exercise you just do basically want you did with the flower before," Art said. "Only you say vine instead of flower."

"I know," Law said. "That was the only actual easy part that you did."

Art shrugged. "Hurry up and get the vine summoned. I want you to do a thousand vine snapped before lunch."

"A thousand? This is some kind of joke?" Law asked.

"I'm afraid not," Art said. "I don't dilly dally around when it comes to training new Summoners. You need to learn this quickly."

"Is there a specific reason for that?" Law asked.

"Not that I'm aware of," Art said.

"Then what's the rush?" Law tapped his finger on his sheath.

"It's just how I work, I guess," Art said with another shrug. "I'm sure you noticed that the four of us chosen to train you have different training styles. Were you expecting something different?"  
"No. I wasn't really expecting anything since this was so new," Law said.

"And you want me to do that within a week or two?"

"I do." Art nodded. "Along with other stuff like creating earthquakes."

"Earthquakes?"

"Well, more like mini quakes," Art explained. "We can't actually shake the ground for miles and miles. We can only shake the ground in a limited area. And like always, the stronger you are the wider your range will be. We'll also be working on that, summoned different shape rocks, how to use those rocks as weapons and restraints."

"You really do have a strict training policy," Law said, annoyed by this man. But he did have to admit this guy knew what he was doing. And it wasn't the first _class_ he had that was this strict. His training with the Doflamingo family was pretty strict and intense at times as well. So this was nothing all that new, except for the whole summoning part and connecting to nature. Those two things were very new to him.

"Then begin," Art said. "Start off with summoning one vine and go from there."

Law nodded. Summoning his aura, he wrapped it around himself. He focused on the ground like he did with the flower. Like before with the flower, he fed his aura into the ground. A small vine slithered up then shriveled up.

 _"Focus, Cub," Seal said._

 _"Must you call me Cub?" Law asked._

 _"He's already explained that to you, my love," Neo said._

Law turned a confusing eye towards Neo.

 _"I guess we can communicate with Seal like this as well as going into your mind," Neo said. "It's kind of similar to the way we communicate through our bond."_

 _"I suppose it is," Law said._

 _"Back to your training now, Cub," Seal said. "You must hurry up and master this."_

 _"Why?" Neo asked._

 _"I'm not quite sure yet," Seal said. "But there's something amiss on this island."_

 _"You said something like that before," Neo said._

 _"Indeed, Cub," Seal said. "And it's getting darker here. The closer the Summoner's Moon comes, the more unnerved this island becomes."_

 _"The Summoner's Moon," Neo said. "We read about that in the library. They're celebrating that soon. I think it's next month."_

 _"Be wary," Seal said. "I do not like this feeling. Nor do I like your nightmare that you had."_

 _"My nightmare," Neo said._

 _"I was able to see it through your connection to your mate," Seal said. "Back to your training now, Cub."_

 _"Law?" Neo asked._ She reached up and touched the orb still embedded in her forehead.

 _"It'll be fine, Neo," Law said. "Don't get scared. I'm still here."_

 _"Okay," Neo said. "I'll let you get back to training them."_

Their new way of communication disappeared. Law took a quick glance at Art. Once again the man had an unreadable expression on his face. Pushing it aside, he sat his sword down on the ground to free up his hand. Focusing back on his aura, he once again fed it into the ground. Another vine slithered up from the dirt. This time it held strong. He pulled the vine up farther. Once it was six feet long, he snapped it out into the air. An annoyed huff escaped his lips when the vine went limp on the ground. That wasn't going to do at all.He tightened his hold around the vine, increasing its thickness. He snapped it out again creating a light pop in the air from it. He heard Luffy gasp in excitement but didn't look at the rubber man.

He kept his focus on the vine. He snapped it out a couple more times, each time the snap becoming sharper and crisper. Twenty minutes later, he had the vine snapping out rapidly.

"Very good," Art said. "Now, create two more vines."

Law lifted an eyebrow at him. He expected him to say one more but not two. Then he thought again. This Summoner was strict so this really shouldn't have been a surprise. Nonetheless, the pirate did as he was instructed. Keeping the first vine steady and strong, he pulled two more out of the ground. The other two waver when he tried to snap all three out at once.

"You can do it, Tra!" Luffy called out.

Like always, Law ignored the overly excited captain. One by one, he snapped out each vine one at a time until he had all three snapping at once in perfect harmony forty minutes later.

"Now do ten vines," Art ordered.

Law repeated the exercise. One by one he snapped out the vines until he got into a rhythm with them. Once that was complete, he started to snap two at a time, then three, then four, until he had all ten of them going. He was feeling secure in this until something dark ran through his head like a flashback. A heavy pressure settled into his body. He felt his aura suddenly striking out randomly.

…

Neo had her elbows rested on her bent up knees and her chin resting in her hands. She was contently watching Law's training and trying to ignore Luffy and Zoro's snoring. She was enjoying watching his training until a strange darkness ran through her mind. A heavy pressure settled into her body causing her to sway. She felt something inside Law strike out at the world around them. She lumped forward.

"Neo!" Tero dropped to his knees and grabbed her shoulders to keep her from hitting the ground.

"Neo, what happened?" Chopper asked.

"I don't know," Neo said through pants. "Something happen to Law."

The still awake pirates looked up to Law. Their eyes widened upon seeing the captain's aura snapping out wildly.

…

"What the heck are you doing?!" Art demanded. Forming his aura around him, he used it to create shields to protect himself from Law's wild aura and vines. "Stop that!"

"I can't!" Law said. "I'm not doing this!"

"Law!" Neo cried out. "What's happening?!"

"I don't know! Just stay where you are!" Law said. "Tero! Don't let her come over here!"

…

"Aye, Captain!" Tero said, tightening his hold on Neo.

"Let me go!" Neo demanded.

"No," Tero said firmly. "You heard what the captain said."

"But he won't hurt me!" Neo said, trying to wiggle out of Tero's hold.

"You don't know that, Neo," Chopper said. He pulled out his stethoscope to monitor Neo through this stress episode.

"Yes, I do!" Neo said.

"No, you don't," Tero said. "The captain's clearly not in control. His aura might strike out on you by accident. You need to stay here for the moment and let Art handle this."

"But…" Neo's voice trailed off. She hated to admit it but Tero was right. She could tell that this wasn't like back on the beach. Something was different this time.

…

"Trafalgar!" Art called out. "Banish your aura!"

"I'm trying!" Law said. _"Seal! Can you hear me?! Seal?!"_ His heart took a sharp beat when he couldn't hear or feel Seal with him. _"Seal!"_

 _"I'm here," Seal said, finally appearing._

 _"What's going on?" Law asked._

 _"I'm not sure," Seal said. "I saw something dark inside of your mind."_

 _"I saw it too. And I'm sure Neo saw it as well," Law said._

 _"Indeed," Seal said. "But do not worry about her. She is in good hands. Now, you need to focus on me. I can help you settle your aura down. Just merge with me. Become me."_

 _"Fine."_ Law closed his eyes. He refocused his aura as much as he could until his body started changing. He felt Seal coming closer to him until he was finally in his snow leopard form. During the transformation he could feel his aura settling down until it was finally back to normal. He opened his eyes and turned back into his human form. Once back to his human self, his aura and vines snapped wildly once more, wrapping around him. Losing his balance, he fell onto the ground.

"Law!" Neo shouted.

Law glanced over at her in time to see her breaking free from Tero's hold. She ran right to him.

"Law!" Tears filled her eyes as she looked him over for injuries that weren't there.

"Captain, are you all right?" Tero asked, looking down at his captain.

"Yes, I'm fine," Law said locking eyes with Neo when she finally looked at him.

"Stupid," Neo said.

"Sorry, love," Law said. "That wasn't my fault."

"I know," Neo said. "I felt and saw it too."

"Felt and saw what?" Tero asked.

"Yeah. What happened?" Art asked.

"I'm not sure," Law said. "I just saw a dark thing pass through my mind then a heavy pressure on my body before everything went wild."

"A dark thing and pressure?" Art rubbed his chin.

"Has nothing like this ever happened before?" Chopper asked.

"No." Art shook his head.

"If it wasn't for Seal I don't know what would have happened," Law said.

"Seal?" Art asked.

"My animal guardian," Law said. "He told me what to do and helped me regain control."

"He told you?" Confusion fell over the Summoner's face.

"Can you not talk to your animal guardian?" Chopper asked.

"No," Art said. "No one can, at least no one that I know of. But if this has happened before then I would have known about it."

"Then it has to be because of Neo being an Elemental," Tero said.

"It might be," Art said. "Either way, I'm going to have to run this by the Council later."

Neo flinched. She didn't want the Council to know. They probably would put them through more pointless tests. Exhaling she looked over the vines around Law's body again. She giggled upon seeing how silly he looked like this. _'That's such a sexy position, lover. I'll have to remember it for the next time we have sex.'_

 _'Oh, hush up.'_ Law grumbled at her.

"Well, you should get back to work unless you think this is going to happen again," Art said.

"I don't think it will," Law said as Neo, Chopper, and Tero helped free him from the vines. Once he was freed, they went back over to their spots where Luffy and Zoro were still snoozing.

They sat back down and watched Law for the next hour. Neo watched him closely for the dark thing to reappear. But it never did. A few more minutes she decided she was driving herself crazy trying to see if that thing would show up again. So she decided it was time to go for a walk through the forest. _'Well, I guess we're going to head off into the forest now. I need a break from this. See you at lunch.'_

 _'All right, call if you need anything.'_

 _'I will.'_ Neo looked over at her friends. "Let's go."

"Yeah!" Luffy instantly jumped to his feet while the others stood up at a slower, more normal, pace, but for Zoro who was still asleep. He bent down to his swordsman and got real close to his ear. "Hey! Zoro! Time to wake up!"

Zoro snapped awake. He grabbed Luffy by the front of his shirt and pulled him down in his face. "What are you yelling for?! I'm not deaf!"

"You were still sleeping," Luffy said. "It's time to go into the forest."

Zoro's eyebrow twitched. With an annoyed sigh, he released his captain and stood up.

"Elek," Neo said upon seeing the man walking towards them.

"Topaz said you wanted to see me," Elek said. "And from the looks of it I got here just in time to prevent a long search through the forest."

"I did," Neo replied. "I wanted to let you know that…I'm okay, more or less, with you asking Topaz out on a date."

"You're going to ask Topaz on a date?" Luffy asked.

"You're _okay_ with him asking Topaz out on a date?" Tero asked.

"Are you sure?" Elek asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Neo nodded. "I'm still a bit unsure about what all will happen between you two, but I want you to ask her. I don't want her to miss out on this because of my insecurities. I trust that you will take care of her and not intentionally hurt her."

"Well, thanks, Neo," Elek said. "I'm a bit surprised you said yes. But I appreciate it."

"Yeah, well…" Neo shifted on her feet. "We're heading out into the forest for a while. Would you like to come with us?"

"Thanks for the invite, but no," Elek said. "I have a class today. I'm teaching a small group of new Summoners how to manipulate their auras."

"Oh, okay," Neo said. "We'll see you later then."

"You bet." Elek waved at them before transforming into his eagle form. With a few strong flaps of his wings, he lifted himself into the air and disappeared into the blue sky.

"Let's go." Neo turned to the men she was with. Zoro and Tero were staring at her like she had two heads. "What?"  
"We're just shocked," Tero said. "You never…Topaz is…"

"Oh, that," Neo said. "Well, I thought about it. Spoke to Law and Chopper and decided to let this happen. Besides it's not like I can actually hold you all hostage for life. Not really anyway. I know some of you will fall in love at some point. So I might as well get use to this now." She smiled. "But never mind all of that. Let's get into the forest and have some fun."

"Yeah!" Luffy roared, throwing his fists into the air. "Time for some fun!"  
"Yeah! Time for fun!" Chopper added.

Giggling, Neo lead the way over to the forest with Luffy and Chopper right behind her while Tero and Zoro slowly brought up the rear.

…

"All right," Art said. "I think you've got a handle on snapping out fifteen vines. Let's move on today's next lesson."

"Fine," Law said. He banished the vines back into the ground and waited for Art's next instruction.

"Let's work on creating small quakes now," Art said, summoning his aura once more. This time, he gathered it around his boots. "Ground of Naturae! Quake before me!" He lifted his foot and slammed it back onto the ground. Immediately, the man's aura spread out over the ground. It was quickly followed by shaking.

Law stumbled a bit. He was surprised at how strong the move was. But he could easily see how this move would be handy. No one can attack when their feet aren't stable on the ground.

"The more aura you put into your foot and the ground, the larger and more wide spread the quake will happen," Art said. "For now just use one foot with a thin layer of aura around it."

Law did as he was told. He mimicked Art's moves but only managed to crack the ground with such a small quake that nether of the men felt it.

"Keep going," Art said. "I want you to shake the ground in the immediate vicinity before lunch."

Law nodded and went through the steps again. _"Seal?"_

 _"Yes, Cub?" Seal asked._

 _"Do you sense that dark thing?"_

 _"I do not. Whatever it was it seems to be gone now. But it might come back," Seal said. "I'll see if I can sense it coming to let you know. Then you can cut off your aura before you can lose control again." He paused, noticing something else was on Law's mind. "You're thinking about your mate's nightmare."_

 _"I wonder if it's the same thing," Law said._

 _"That is a possibility," Seal said. "Back to your training now."_

Law lifted his foot and slammed it down on the ground. The crack this time was six inches long. He lifted up his foot and slammed it down again. Vibrations came up through his boot. He finally got the ground to shake.

…

"Why in the world did I agree to come here?" Zoro asked after two hours of wondering around the forest and watching Luffy, Chopper, and Neo play with whatever animals the Elemental felt like calling over to them. Currently, the three _children_ , of their pirates' crews were riding around on a large bird. He and Tero were leaning against a couple trees. Their eyes locked up into the break of the leaves at the bird circling above them.

"Neo has a bizarre ability to get us to do whatever she wants," Tero said. "She's been like that even before getting pregnant."

"I should have stayed back at the training grounds," Zoro said, putting his hands behind his head, leaning against a tree. The bark bit into his skin but he was too lazy to move again. "At least there I could have taken a nap."

"That was so much fun!" Luffy shouted as Neo lowered him, Chopper, and herself to the ground with her winds.

"Yeah! So much fun!" Chopper agreed.

"It was," Neo agreed.

"Are you three children done playing yet?" Tero asked.

"What?!" Luffy asked. "Are you kidding?! There's still a lot to do here!"

"What else can you do here?" Tero said. "You've already played with just about all the animals in this forest, Neo created you all a jungle gym with vines, tree branches, flowers, rocks, and so on, you've played in the small creak, you swung from vines…"

"This is a forest! There's a lot to do here!" Luffy said.

"You're such a child," Tero grumbled.

"You love us and you know it." Neo grabbed a hold of the grumpy man's arm.

To avoid her cute, puppy dog like stare, Tero closed his eyes. He knew she was right, at least where she was concerned. While he didn't show it to her often like their crewmates that he cared about her, he still showed it in his own way and time. Like coming out here with her like this. And she knew he cared about her and showed his love for her differently. It was good enough for them both. Without another word, the group started walking through the forest again to see what kind of fun Luffy and Neo could find.

"Huh? Who's that over there?" Zoro asked suddenly.

"Who's who?" Tero asked.

"There's someone over there," Zoro said, pointing to his right.

"There's someone else out here besides us?" Luffy asked.

"Maybe it's one of the Summoners," Chopper said.

"It's Luna," Neo said.

"The little white haired bat Summoner?" Zoro asked.

"What would she be doing out here?" Tero added.

"Let's go see," Luffy said, dashing forward.

"Hold it," Tero said, grabbing the back of Luffy's shirt. "Just because she's out here doesn't mean she wants to be bothered. She probably got out of the city to get away from everyone bothering her."

"Huh?" Luffy looked over his shoulder. "What do you mean by that?"  
"You're an idiot, Straw Hat," Tero said, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance at the rubber man.

"Hold on," Chopper said, peaking through the leaves of a bush. "It looks like she's talking to someone."

"Talking to someone?" Neo knelt down beside Chopper. Pushing the leaves aside, she looked over to the white haired girl.

"He's right," Zoro said. "It does look like she's talking to someone."

"But no one's there," Tero said.

"Maybe she's talking to an animal?" Chopper offered.

"I don't sense one near her," Neo said. "Well, none other than her bat guardian."

"Then she's talking to that thing," Zoro said, turning away from the girl. "Let's just go."

"Yeah," Tero agreed. "Let's get out of here. She looks like she's having a serious conversation with herself."

Neo took a closer look at the girl. Tero was right. Luna did look like she was having a serious conversation with someone or herself. But she didn't believe that it was her bat guardian or herself. For one, she had no idea if anyone outside of her and Law could talk to the guardians of the Summoners. She figured they couldn't because their guardians were animals while they were human. She looked around again for any animal that she might have missed. For two, she still felt no other animal near the girl. The closest one was a bird about thirty yards from their position. So who was Luna talking to? And why did she look like the conversation was life and death? Why would an eight year old look so serious? What could she possibly be talking about? And who was she actually talking to? And why come all the way out here to have this conversation? She didn't like it. She knew that Luna was really a very lonely girl. She wanted to help her, but couldn't since Luna wouldn't let anyone get close to her.

"What? We should asked her to come have some fun with us," Luffy said.

"What? No! Luffy!" Zoro said. But it was too late. Before he could stop his impulsive captain, Luffy had pushed through the bushes and ran over to Luna.

"Luffy." Neo followed him.

"Just great," Zoro grumbled. "Now she's gone."

"Might as well follow them," Tero said, following after Chopper who walked a head of them.

"Luna!" Luffy yelled out.

Luna's startled eyes snapped to the pirates running up to her.

"We came here to ask you if you-" Luffy started.

"What are you doing here?!" Luna jumped to her feet and glared at the pirates.

"We were just out exploring the forest," Neo said.

"Yeah. We saw you over here and-" Luffy said.

"You saw me?" Luna's eyes widened, her skin fading a couple of tones.

"Of course we saw you," Luffy said.

"Luna? Are you all right?" Neo asked. "You look a bit pale."

"What did…?" Luna took a step back from them. "What did you see? What did you hear?"  
"We didn't hear anything," Luffy said. "We only saw you over here talking to someone." He looked around. "Did you have friend here? They can come play with us too."

"No!" Luna snapped. "Just stay away from me! You pirates shouldn't be here at all! Just leave Zion already!"

"We can't," Tero said. "Our captain needs to train."

"No! He doesn't!" Luna said. Her eyes filled with tears.

Neo peered down at the girl in confusion. She could see that Luna was very upset about something. "Luna, just tell us what's wrong."

"He needs to get out of here! All of you! It's not safe here!" Luna said.

"Luna, calm down." Neo knelt down in front of the young girl. She placed her hands on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing," Luna said suddenly, wiping her tears away. "It's nothing. I'm fine. I have to go check on my grandfather."

"Luna," Neo said. She didn't get another word out to her before the young girl ran off. "Oh, Luna. What's going on with you?"

"That was beyond weird," Zoro said.

"I hate to say it, but maybe everyone in town is right about her," Tero said. "She seemed to have two different personalities just now."

"It might be possible that she does have multiple personalities," Chopper said.

"But no one has said anything about that," Neo said. "Or, do you really think that she was talking to herself right now?"

"She could have been," Chopper said. "But that's nothing to worry about. I believe we all talk to ourselves at some point at several moments in time. She's probably just stressed out over everyone attacking her and her grandfather being sick."

"Maybe," Neo mumbled. She started off in the direction Luna ran off in. The young girl's words rolled around in her head, mixing with the nightmare she had. Suddenly, she felt Luna's warning was real. Perhaps they should just leave this island. After all something was going to happen to Law here.

…

 **Catiorro: Interesting take you have on my story. We'll eventually know what's going on.**

 **Mooshroom71: His snow leopard will be back within a couple chapters.**

 **Apple Bloom: You might be right.**


	16. Little Break

Little Break

"Wow! The captain is amazing!"

"He's so fast!"

"This new power of his is going to be a great help on the sea!"

"I know! The captain will be even more well know through the seas!"

"Even the Emperors will trembled upon how strong the captain is getting."

Neo exhaled at the words her lovely crew had pretty much been saying since they came out here to watch Law train. Several had still disappeared into the town a while ago, but a twelve of them were curious enough to finally come see what all Law was doing with his Summoner powers. She had to agree with them on part of it. This power Law had could come in handy in some cases. And it would be a surprise to their enemies since the only recorded attacks Law has is his Devil Fruit. She didn't think the Emperors would care about it though. They were still very much out of the Emperors league. And she knew Law wouldn't be stupid enough to go after them with this power since he was still new to it.

Despite all of that, something about today's training bothered her. It's been only three days since Law started his Naturae training. And he has gotten unbelievably good. He was now currently snapping out a hundred vines through his aura while lifting rocks of all sizes into the air as targets. The vines were flying all over the place, hitting the rocks, shattering them into pieces. So much so that she was having a bit of a hard time keeping up where they all were going. Her eyes slid over to Art. The man's typical unreadable expression was replaced with a look of confusion and slight concern. The looked caused her heart to skip a beat. With a few slow breaths she calmed her heart down. Surely if something was seriously wrong Art would have told Law to stop training already. Still, she couldn't help but wonder why the man has such a look on his face after days of keeping his face emotionless.

Neo turned her eyes around her family. They didn't seem to notice as they continued to watch their captain continue on with his training. Her eyes dropped to Chopper who was still sticking to her like glue. He didn't seem to notice any difference in Law as he sat starry eyed. Glancing up at her, he said, "Law is so cool! Isn't he?"  
Neo nodded. She did agree with that. Law was cool. She just wished she felt better with his training. Her eyes drifted back to Law. He was coiling vines around like springs and jumping around on them. It was something she didn't think he should do but she knew he would be fine. If he fell he could easily use his Room to land safely on the ground. Or she could use her winds to catch him. But still, he seemed oddly comfortable and, she wasn't sure really, maybe a slightly bit cocky with his control over the vines. She shook her head. There was no way Law was actually acting cocky. He wasn't the type. Resting her chin on her knees, she called out for Seal. _"Seal?"_

 _"Yes, Cub?" Seal asked._

 _"Is Law advancing at this rate normal?"_

 _"I'm afraid I don't know. This is my first time as a guardian."_

 _"I should have known that."_

 _"I know you're worried. But try not to. It's not good for you or your own cub."_

 _"I know."_ Neo cupped her hand over her stomach. _"Something just doesn't feel right."_

 _"Perhaps it's the Summoner's Moon that's coming up."_

 _"The Summoner's Moon," Neo said. "It can affect Summoners."_

 _"And you still have your bond," Seal said. "That is a big factor in his advancement."_

 _"I hope that's all it is," Neo said._ She settled back down. As careful as she could, she connected her mind with Law's. She didn't want to distract him, but she really wanting to see if the shadow thing had returned or was possibly creeping around in his mind. A shiver ran over her body. She didn't like the idea of something other than herself and Seal being inside of Law's mind. But she didn't find anything. Seal hasn't found anything either. It seemed like whatever that thing was it was a one time only thing. She hoped it was a one time only thing. She didn't ever want it to come back again.

Her eyes automatically followed Law up into the air when he jumped from a coiled vine.

His lips curled into a smirk when he glanced over at her and his subordinates. It was a look that Neo instantly caught but didn't know the meaning of since Law, for whatever reason, blocked his thoughts from her. She was about to mentally contact him but stopped when he landed on the ground with his aura engulfing his boots. His lips moved as he spoke out the summons for creating quakes. The ground instantly vibrated out from his boot. The pirates, who were still standing, stumbled around from the quake their captain had created. Then, much to Neo's surprised, Law slammed his other boot down onto the ground, creating another quake before the first one could even stop.

The pirates cried out in surprise and fell to the ground. Chopper grabbed onto Neo's side. He said, "Ah! What's happening?! Why is he doing this?!"

"I don't know," Neo said. She summoned her earth crystals to put a stop to the shake. But before she could do anything, the shaking stopped.

"That was crazy, Captain."

"That was amazing!"

"You're incredible, Captain!"

Neo huffed. Sometimes she's wished her boys weren't so devoted to their captain like this. None of them seemed to notice that this wasn't typical Law behavior. She glanced over at Art. The man was now wearing a frown on his lips. Clearly he didn't like what Law had done either.

"All right," Art called out. "I'm cutting your training short today."

"What for?" Law asked. "We've only been at this for three hours."

"I know it's short noticed, but I have another engagement to attend to," Art said, heading back towards the town. "Just continue what I've taught you so far on your own when you feel like it. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Fine," Law said with a light shrug. He walked over to his crew. They, of course, congratulated him on his quick advancement, which he seemed to really enjoy, before dispersing themselves to go do whatever they felt like.

Grabbing Law's sword, Neo stood up.

"You seem oddly quiet today," Law said, taking his sword from her.

Neo shrugged. Her eyes dropped to the ground. From the corner of them she could see Chopper giving her a slight concerned look. She said, "I'm all right. I guess I'm just tired. It's still pretty stressful being here and all."

"Love," Law took her chin in his fingers and tilted her up so she would look at him, "you know better than to lie to me. You're worried. I can tell. I felt you scanning through my mind earlier."

"I'm sorry," Neo said. "I just don't like that thing appeared then disappeared. We have no idea what it was or if it will come back."

"You have nothing to worry about." Law kissed her forehead. "Seal is on guard duty all the time."

"I know." Neo nodded.

"Don't make me order you to stop worrying," Law said.

"Oh, hush," Neo said, shoving him lightly. "I have the right to worry. You don't seem like yourself today."

"What do you mean?" Law asked.

"You were just acting oddly," Neo said. "I'm not really sure how to explain it but you were coming off a bit cocky with jumping around like you were, then that thing with the quakes, and accepting so much praise from the crew."

"Should I not accept praise?" Law asked.

"No, it's not that," Neo said. "It's just, you weren't yourself when you accepted it. I'm sorry. I told you that it's odd."

"There's nothing wrong with accepting praise. You're worrying over nothing," Law said. "And I was just feeling a bit playful today and decided to _attack_ the crew a bit. That's all. Besides, they loved it. So don't worry, babe."

"Babe?" Neo lifted an eyebrow. Law has never called her that before.

"I didn't," Chopper said. "It was scary."

"You had nothing to worry about," Law said. "You had Neo right by your side. Besides I wasn't going to let things get out of hand." He ran his fingers through her hair. "Just let it go. Since I have some free time let's go do something."

"Like what?" Neo asked, forgetting about the babe thing.

"Anything you want," Law said.

"You're not too tired?" Neo asked, running her eyes over his body. She could easily feel the tiredness in his body. "Despite only training for three hours you still got a good work out."

"I'm feeling fine," Law said. "Just a few minutes of rest is all I'll need to feel refreshed."

"Well, all right," Neo said. She thought for a minute of what they could do. Before she could decide, the wind suddenly picked up and a blur of blue landed on the ground, kicking up a ton of dirt and small rocks.

"What the heck was that?!" Chopper asked between several coughs.

"I'm so sorry," a familiar, frantic voice said. The wind whirled around them, blowing the dirt away.

"It sounds like one of the twins," Neo said.

"It is," Chopper said once the dirt cleared. "But which one are you?"  
"Aura," Aura said.

"Are you okay?" Neo asked, noticing the young girl's red face and puffy eyes. "You look like you've been crying."

"Our mother's dying!" Aura shouted.

"What?!" Chopper and Neo asked.

"Please, Princess! Please! You have to come see her right away!" Aura begged. "You can save her! I know you can heal her with your solar crystal! Please! Please, I'm begging you!"

"Okay, okay," Neo said. "Of course I'll come. Law?"  
Law nodded. "Let's go."

"Okay!" Aura nodded before wrapping her winds around them and flying them at an incredible speed to their house.

Law wrapped his arm around Neo, firmly pulling her to his side so she didn't get jostled around too much by Aura's, in his opinion, too fast speed.

They landed within a minute. Without taking the time to look around their surroundings, the pirates instantly followed Aura into the house, down a hallway and right into a bedroom. Inside, Eri and Edan were sitting on the bed with a very sickly looking Mesi. The woman had dark patches on her skin and did look like she was about to die.

"Oh my gosh!" Chopper gasped. The pirates rushed up to the bed. The two doctors immediately started checking the woman out. "What happened to her?!"

"We don't know," Eri said, wiping away a few tears. "She was fine two days ago. But yesterday she started feeling really sluggish. Today she's been bedridden all day. This dark spot just popped up a few minutes ago. She must have that illness that's going around. Princess! Please, help her!"

Neo summoned her solar crystal and immediately began to spread its glow over the woman's body.

"Her heart rate is a bit shallow," Chopper informed them. "Her temperature is normal. Other than the tiredness and dark spots, everything seems normal. Law, did you find anything?"

"Nothing yet," Law said before forming his Room to scan on a deeper level. "I don't see anything either."

"Look!" Edan said. "The dark spots are clearing up!"

"They are?" Neo asked. She leaned in closer to the woman and looked at a slowly disappearing dark spot. While staring, she noticed something else. "Her skin didn't dissolve."

"What do you mean?" Edan asked.

"Take a look for yourself," Neo said.

"I see," Edan said when he looked at them again. "That's odd. Everyone else's skin was ripped off."

"So why wasn't mom's?" Aura asked. "Not that I'm ungrateful for that."

"Maybe she wasn't advanced enough?" Chopper offered.

"But she advanced a lot quicker than everyone else has," Eri said. "Usually it takes about a week or so before they become this sluggish."

"Is it possible that this illness is advancing or changing?" Aura asked.

"It's highly possible that it is," Law said.

"At least the princess was able to heal her," Edan said.

"For now," Neo said. "I have no idea if this will come back or not. Or how this will affect her if it does come back. I might not be able to do anything next time."

"Do not fret over that, Princess," Edan said. "We'll just handle this step by step. Look, Mesi is waking up now."

Mesi groaned before opening her eyes. "What happened?"  
"Mother!" The twins threw themselves onto their mother and hugged her.

"Goodness," Mesi said, her hands going to the back of her daughters' heads. "What's going on? My girls, you've been crying, haven't you?"

"You don't remember?" Chopper asked.

"Uh, I'm not sure," Mesi said. "I know one minute I'm fine and then the next I felt really tired."

"And after that?" Chopper probed.

"I don't really remember much after that," Mesi said. "I do remember some strange shadow creature running around in my dreams."

"Shadow creature?" The twins pulled back and looked at their mother. "You could have died! You were that close to death!"

"Calm yourselves, girls," Mesi said, cupping their cheeks. "I'm all right. I don't feel tired anymore at all."

"That's so good to hear," the girls said, placing their hands over their mother's.

"Shadow creature," Neo mumbled.

"What was that, Princess?" Edan asked.

"Mesi?" Neo looked at the woman.

"Yes, Princess?"

"What exactly did this shadow creature look like?" Neo asked.

"Are you thinking it might be the same one in your nightmare?" Law asked, earning a nod from Neo.

"Well, I'm not really sure," Mesi said. "I was dreaming that I was inside of some cave and this shadow creature thing just kept following me around."

The ground underneath Neo swayed. Her body instantly went cold.

"Neo!" Law jumped up from the bed when Neo's legs gave out on her. He guided her to the bed and sat down. "Easy."

"Law…" Neo panted. "My nightmare…"

"What's going on?" Mesi asked. "Is the princess all right?"

"Neo had a nightmare a few days ago about a cave and a shadow creature," Law explained. "Somehow, when she has a nightmare about me, one of the crew, or someone else she cares about it always comes true."

"You mean her nightmare about the cave and the shadow creature are going to come true?" Mesi asked.

"Yes." Law nodded. "Also, she's been dreaming about me being faceless. So whatever the cave and shadow creature are, I'm involved in it somehow."

"Oh, you poor thing," Mesi said, pressing a hand to her mouth.

"That's an odd dream to have," Eri said.

"I wonder what it means," Aura added.

"Whatever it means and whenever it happened," Edan said standing up from the bed. "You don't have to worry. We will protect you and your loved ones no matter what."

"But what _is_ happening, Grandpa?" Aura asked.

"I wish I knew." Edan shook his head.

A moment of silence passed through the room before Mesi asked, "What happened to your training?"

"I trained for three hours before Art said he had something else to do," Law said.

"How is your training going?" Edan asked.

"It's going fine," Law said.

"That's good to hear. Would you all like something to eat and drink?" Mesi moved to the edge of the bed. "You're probably a bit hungry from training."

"Mother!" Eri said

"You shouldn't move!" Aura added.

"Nonsense," Mesi said, the solar crystal's glow fading from her body. "I'm just fine."

"Law, Chopper, is it fine for her to move?" Neo asked.

"I believe it is," Chopper said. "What about you Law?"  
"She seems to be all right now," Law said, checking the woman's pulse again.

"Still, it was an oddly fast recovery," Neo said, her solar crystal still out if she needed to use it again.

"Perhaps it was fast recover because you got here so fast," Mesi said.

"Possibly," Neo said thoughtfully. "Well, all right. But I want you to take it easy. No heavy housework or lifting or anything else like that. And if you feel tried again come and see me immediately or have someone come get me."

"Yes, Princess," Mesi said with bow of her head. "Now, how about some snacks? We have fresh cookies."

"Can we, Neo?" Chopper asked hopeful.

"Law?" Neo turned her eyes to Law.

"It's fine with me," Law said. "I told you I wanted to rest for a while before we did anything."

"All right. We'll stay for a while," Neo said.

"Yes!" Chopper cheered.

The group followed the Elementals back out into the hallway, which they noticed was filled with pictures of the twins growing up. They wondered down the light tan color hall, into the living room, and then into the kitchen where they all sat down while Mesi and the girls served the cookies and milk. While eating, they listened to Eden share some stories of his life and more stories on the girls and how mischievous they had been throughout their lives.

It wasn't until two hours later the pirates finally said their goodbyes to their friends and headed off into the town. Heading away from the house, Neo noticed that it was located in a quite little neighborhood. It seemed like the perfect place for the twins' family to live. Their quiet walk from the twins' house was quickly interrupted by the typical chaos of the town. People were yelling out in advertisement of their clothes, food, jewelry, or whatever they were selling. Crowds were busy bustling about, barely paying the pirates any attention as they maneuvered around.

Neo smiled. "Well, that was fun."

"You seem to be feeling a little better," Law said.

"I guess so," Neo said, slipping her hand into Law's.

Law laced their fingers together before placing a kiss on her temple. "Good girl. Hold on to that now."

"Yes, _Captain_ ," Neo said.

"Mesi's a really good cook," Chopper said, tossing his last cookie into his mouth. "So yummy!" He swallowed. "Neo, we should make some cookies later."

"Sounds like fun," Neo said. "I haven't made cookies in a while."

"Huh?" Chopper looked up.

"What is it, Chopper?" Neo asked.

"I think I hear Brook playing his violin," Chopper said.

"Let's go see," Neo said.

Chopper agreed and led the way farther into the town. They came to the center where the fountain was. Like he thought, Brook was up on a platform with some people none of them knew. The skeleton had his violin out and was happily singing Bink's Brew. Some of the island inhabitants knew the song and was singing along while others clearly didn't know it but was enjoying the tune nonetheless as they danced and rocked their heads along with the melody.

"Ah!" Brook then said when he caught a glimpse of his friends. He stopped playing and signaled for the band to take a break. He then jumped down from the stage. "Chopper, Neo, Mr. Tra, what a pleasant surprise to see you all here."

"It's nice to see you too, Brook," Neo said. "You look like you're keeping busy while on Zion."

"Indeed I am," Brook said. "I was actually invited to play with this band for the Summoner's Moon festival."

"You're going to play at the Summoner's Moon festival?" Neo asked.

"I am." Brook nodded.

"That sounds like fun," Neo said.

"Well, I'd love to stay and speak with you all for a while, but we must continue with our rehearsal," Brook said.

"All right then," Neo said.

"See you later, Brook," Chopper said as the skeleton hopped back up on the stage. "So what now?"

Neo hummed and smiled at Law. "How about a quick dance? You weren't here the other night when we were dancing."

"All right," Law said. "If that's what you want."

"It is," Neo said, pulling him closer to her. Reluctantly releasing his hand, she let him tie his sword to his back so he could give her his full attention. Sliding her hands around his neck, she pushed up on her toes and pecked his lips. "You're such a good boy."

Law chuckled and started to move her around to the smooth song Brook and the rest of the band were playing.

Chopper stepped back to make sure he wasn't in their way. He waited patiently, bobbing his head along with the music while watching Neo and Law getting lost in their own world of each other's eyes. It was only two minutes into the dance when a harsh, "Come back here you little brat!" echoed out over the crowd. Chopper turned towards the area the voice had came from. He asked, "What was that?"

"Come back here, you little thief!" the voice said again.

Suddenly, a familiar white hair girl came running out of the crowd, clutching a bottle to her chest.

"It's Luna," Neo said.

"I said come back here!" Just then the crowd parted for a rather large woman. She snapped out her hand and grabbed Luna by her arm, jerking the girl back with a hard yank that made her cry out in protest.

"Ouch! That hurt! Let go of me, you ol' hag!" Luna snapped.

"How dare you call me names?!" the woman hissed.

"Says the one calling me a thief!" Luna said. Hanging from the woman's hand, she kicked out at the woman's round stomach. But the little girl couldn't get in a good kick due to the way she was being held on to and possibly the thickness of the woman's stomach.

"You are a thief!" the woman said.

"I am not!" Luna tried to kick her again. "You said I could have this if I swept your porch and store for a month! I _earned_ this!"

"You did not do your job properly!" the woman said. "There's still dirt everywhere, you little freak! I never should have let you work for me!"

"Because _your_ kids threw the dirt in there after I cleaned it today! And I don't _work_ for _you_! If I did you would be paying me in cash instead of medicine!" Luna said.

Neo narrowed her eyebrows and marched forwards. Taking on her royal tone she said, "Enough! You will release that girl at once!"

"Stay out of this!" the woman snapped.

Neo summoned her crystals. The wind picked up as dark clouds rolled in overhead. With a sharp glare, she said, "Do not make me tell you again."

"Fine," the woman said after an unsure pause. She sat Luna back on the ground, but didn't let her go until she pulled the bottle out from her small hand. "But I'm taking this back."

"You are not," Neo said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Law?"

"Room. Shambles." Law held out his hand to form his Room. He turned it over just in time to catch the bottle.

"Hey! That belongs to me!" the woman said. "Give it back!"

"You made a deal with Luna," Law said. "She held up her end of the bargain. And now you will as well."

"What?! You have no idea what our bargain was!" the woman said. "And she did not hold up to her end of it!"

"We know enough," Neo said. "I can see it in your eyes and the way you're treating Luna. You don't want to give her that just because you don't like her."

The woman's ears burned red. It was clear to them all that she couldn't hide the truth. She said, "Fine. Keep it. But don't you ever show yourself around my store again, you brat."

Luna stuck her tongue out at the woman once she began to retreat back into the crowd while holding her injured arm. She spun her eyes to Neo and Law. "I wish you didn't do that. I could handle her just fine."

"Sure you could handle her," Law said. "That's why you yelped when she jerked you."

"Let me take a look at your arm," Chopper said, reaching out for the girl.

"No! I don't need your help! I'm fine!" Luna pulled away from him. She spun on her heels and ran off. "I don't need your help!"

"Wait!" Neo called out. "You forgot your medicine!"

"There she goes again," Chopper said while watching Luna disappear into the crowd. "I wonder why she's always running. I hope her arm is okay."

"I do too. But at least we have a reason to go visit her and her grandfather now," Neo said with a smile.

"Do you remember where Topaz said she lived?" Law asked.

"I do." Neo nodded then gathered them all up in her winds. Lifting them up into the sky, she headed north.

"Hey!"

Neo, Chopper, and Law all looked down when they heard Franky and Usopp calling up to them. Instead of lowering them down to meet them, she pulled the two up into the air with them. She said, "Hey, guys."

"Where are you off to in a hurry?" Usopp asked.

"We're going to go see Luna," Chopper said.

"That little white haired girl that keeps running away from you?" Franky asked.

"That's her," Neo said with a nod. "We have something that belongs to her."

Law flashed them the medicine bottle.

"I see," Franky said.

"Mind if we come along since we're already up here?" Usopp asked.

"Sure," Neo said, eyeing the tools they were carrying while noting that they both smelled like wood.

"We've been at the shipyard," Franky explained.

"That explains the smell then," Neo said.

"Franky's been giving the shipwrights here some lessons," Usopp said, jerking his thumb to the cyborg. "They're eating it up, especially since Franky revealed his backstory with Tom."

"You must be having a lot of fun then," Neo said. "I haven't seen you a lot lately."

"Yeah." Franky nodded. "It's keeping me pretty busy."

"So where's her house?" Usopp asked, looking down at the ground.

"It should be around here somewhere," Neo said, looking down. "Topaz said it was the only one story house in this area."

"There it is," Law said, pointing to a dark blue building.

Neo lowered them down right in front of it. Her eyebrows lifted up on her forehead at seeing how run down this place was. Shutters and gutters hung onto the walls by a thread, grass was over a foot tall, weeds had taken over something that looked to formerly be a garden, vines of random flowers were growing up the sides of the houses, and at least two windows had small holes in them from what look to be created by rocks or something thrown.

"What a dump," Usopp said, earning Franky's iron fist on top of his head. "Ouch! What the heck was that for?!"

"For being rude," Franky said.

"I guess Topaz didn't come to check this place out before telling us about it," Law said.

Neo nodded. She couldn't help but summon her earth crystals. Easily, she lowered the grass to a fresh cut look, shriveled up the weeds, and left the vines and flowers on the sides of the house but moved them around a bit to look more presentable. "Hey, Franky?"

"Don't say another word," Franky said, twirling a hammer in his hand. "But first, let's see if anyone's home. I don't want to disturb their napping if they are currently taking one or planning on taking one."

Neo nodded then lead the way up to the door. She knocked. The hinges creaked when the door swung open from the treatment. "Oh, this place is literally about to fall down."

"Don't worry, Neo," Franky said. "I'll have this place fixed up soon enough."

"And I'll help," Usopp said.

Neo nodded then took a small step inside of the house. "Hello? Is anyone home?"

"Yes? Is someone there?" a frail voice asked. "Sorry but I can't come to the door. Please, come on in."

Neo looked back at Law. She wasn't sure if she should enter or not. When he gave her a nod, signaling it was okay, she led them inside of the house. No lights were on. The only light they had was from the windows and a few holes in the ceiling. The rug was torn and tattered while tan paint fell off the walls. And there were no pictures or any other decorations in the hall. Coming to the only door on the left side of the hall, Neo peaked into the room. Sitting on a worn down couch was an old, bald headed man, with a six inch white beard that tapered of to a point. A thin blanket was draped over his legs.

And despite all of the wrinkles that graced his features, he still had a rather young looking appearance. She swallowed. His deep green eyes were soft and warm, beckoning her to enter into the room.

"Well, hello, Princess Neo," the man said.

"You…you know me?" Neo asked, feeling the others moving around her to peer inside of the room. The pounding in her heart moved up to her head. She wasn't expecting this old man to know who she was. Her fingers instinctually curled around Law's when he reached for her hand. Her body relaxed at his touch.

"Indeed I do," he said. "Luna has spoken about you."

"She has?" Neo kneaded her eyebrows.

"That's surprising," Usopp said. "I thought she hated us."

"No, no," the man said. "Not at all. She just doesn't let people get close to her."

"Is she here?" Neo asked. She took the medicine bottle from Law's hand and showed it to the man. "She took off without this. I believe she was bringing it home to you."

"She was suppose to," he said. "But she hasn't returned yet."

"I see," Neo said.

"If you wish, you could wait for her," he said. "She should be coming home anytime now."

"Well…" Neo glanced up at Law. When he nodded, signaling it was fine, she nodded to the old man. "Yes, we will wait if it's no trouble."

"It's no trouble at all," he said, gesturing to the two wooden chairs and loveseat, all three worn down like the rest of the house.

Neo gave the man the medicine bottle then returned to Law to sit down on the loveseat while Franky and Usopp sat down in the chairs. Chopper walked over to Neo. She picked him up and sat him on her lap. Her eyes then noticed the room was full of several bookshelves that were bulging with books.

Before anyone could say anything else, the old man broke into a coughing fit.

"Oh, my gosh," Chopper said. He jumped down from Neo's lap and ran over to the old man. He rubbed the old man's back tenderly. "Take it easy. Neo, could you use your solar crystal on him?"

Neo summoned her solar crystal and engulfed the old man in its glow.

"What's wrong? Do you need something? Some kind of medicine?" Chopper asked, looking around the room. "What this what Luna was getting this medicine for?"

"No…" The man regained his breath. "No medicine will ever be able to cure old age. We are all destined for this."

"I'm sorry," Neo said. "My crystal can't do anything for old age either."

"No need to apologize," he said. "This happens to all of us. You may call me Sage."

"It's nice to meet, Sage," Neo said.

"Yeah, you're a lot nicer than your granddaughter from what I hear," Usopp said. "I haven't had the pleasure of meeting her yet. I'm Usopp by the way."

"And my name is Chopper."

"I'm Franky."

"And this is my husband Law," Neo said.

"It's nice to meet you all," Sage said. "I've also heard of your husband. He's the impressive new Summoner everyone's been talking about."

"That's him," Neo said.

"I must apologize for my granddaughter," Sage said. "She can be quit a handful. I heard that she's giving you some problems as well."

"No, she's not," Neo said. "She's just…young."

"Is there a reason she's like that?" Chopper asked.

"There is. She tries to put on a brave face, but she really is lonely," Sage said. "Her parents died in a storm one day when they were out at sea. She was only four years old, so she doesn't really remember them much. And I can't tell her anything about them because I never knew them."

"So that means you're not her biological grandfather? In that case, how did she come to be in your care?" Neo asked.

"You are correct. I am not related to her by any means of blood or marriage. I found her one day wondering around the streets when she had ran away from the orphanage," Sage said. "It had been about two weeks since her parents died. Apparently, neither of them had any relatives that live on this island. A few family friends tried to reach out to other family members but most couldn't be found and the rest didn't want to deal with her and her Summoner powers. And that extended to a lot of others too. Several people tried to take her in but quickly kicked her out."

"Why would they do that to a four year old child?" Usopp asked.

"Because of her powers," Sage said. "She often said a strange shadow creature was talking to her. Of course people thought there was something wrong with her."

"But you didn't," Law said.

Sage nodded. "I'm not sure exactly how, but I could tell that she wasn't lying about the shadow creature."

"She's seen the shadow creature as well?" Neo asked.

"I take you've seen it too?" Sage asked.

"It's possible," Neo said. "Law and I have seen one. But we're not really sure what it is. Neither of us got a clear look at it."

"It's the same with Luna," Sage said. "She never gets a clear picture of the creature either."

"I wonder if it's the same." Neo looked up at Law. He peered back into her eyes, wondering the same thing. If only they had a way to see if it was all the same shadow creature.

"Being treated like a freak took more of a toll on her than she lets on," Sage said. "She's really very lonely with no one to play with or talk to other than myself. But I'm getting too old for this. Soon my time will come to an end. And I have no idea how Luna is going to survive without me."

"You don't have to worry about her," Neo said. "I give you my word that I will make sure she's taken care of."

"Such an odd promise coming from someone who doesn't know Luna very well," Sage said.

"I know," Neo said. "It's just…I too was treated like a freak when growing up. I had to live among humans because of a betrayal that happened on my home island that also killed my parents."

"I see," Sage said, stroking his beard. "That would explain why Luna talks nonstop about you. She must sense that connection between you as well."

Neo nodded.

"All right then," Sage said. "If you are still here when my time comes, I'll leave her to you."

"Thank you," Neo said.

"That's so sweet!" Franky pushed up his sunglasses to brush away his river of tears. "It's so touching! You're taking care of such a fragile child! And Neo loves the girl because they have similar backgrounds! It so super! You're such a super man!"

"There, there." Usopp patted Franky's shoulder. "It's not that big of a deal. You don't have to cry."

"What are you doing here?!" Luna's voice demanded. They all turned their eyes to the girl, standing in the doorway they walked through, to find her glaring and cradling her arm against her side.

"Luna, you're hurt," Sage said. "What happened?"

"I'm fine, Grandpa," Luna said.

"You really shouldn't lie to you grandfather," Law said.

"Stay out of this, pirate!" Luna snapped.

"She got hurt by a woman who jerked her arm," Law said.

"I told you to stay out of this!" Luna said then winced at pain shooting through her arm.

"You should let us look at that, Luna," Neo said.

"I don't need to be looked at," Luna said.

"Are you a doctor?" Sage asked.

"I'm not, but Law and Chopper are," Neo said. "Please, let them look at your arm, Luna."

"No," Luna said flatly.

"Luna," Sage said in an authority tone, which caused Luna to flinch. "Let them look at your arm."

"Yes, sir," Luna said, defeated.

Chopper and Law took their cue and walked over to the girl. Chopper observed while Law inspected the girl's arm. Law said, "It looks like nothing's broken, most likely just a sprain. Neo, use your solar crystal to fix it."

"Sure." Neo nodded. She shifted her solar crystal's glow to Luna. She watched as the pain in the girl's face subsided.

"Thanks," Luna mumbled when the glow disappeared.

"Any time, Luna." Neo smiled.

"Well, we might as well get started," Franky said, standing up.

"Get started with what?" Luna asked.

"We're fixing up your house for you," Usopp said.

"Why would you do that?" Luna asked.

"Because we want to of course," Usopp said.

"No," Luna said flatly.

"Oh, come on now," Usopp said. "Don't you want your grandpa to live in a draft free house? It will be a lot more comfortable for him."

Luna twitched. It was obvious to them all that she couldn't argue with that.

"I'm sorry, but we have no money to pay for the fixes," Sage said.

"Don't worry about that," Neo said. "It's a gift. And I'll hear no arguing about it."

"Well, I can't argue with the princess who has her mind set," Sage said. "If you wish, then go right ahead."

"Thank you," Neo said then nodded at Franky and Usopp.

Now with permission, Franky and Usopp stepped out of the room, leaving the rest to continue talking with Luna and her grandpa, or at least Sage. Luna just sat on the couch beside Sage with an annoyed look on her face.

"So, um, you have a lot of books here," Neo said to break the odd silence that had settled among them.

"Yes," Sage said with a smile. "I love to read. I have even written a few books myself."

"Luna mentioned you have a lot of books," Chopper said, glancing around at the bookshelves. "But I didn't think it would be this many."

"Yes, well, since I'm so old there really isn't anything for me to do but read," Sage said. "It passed the time until it's my time to pass."

"Grandpa!" Luna snapped. "Don't talk like that! You're not going to die!"

"Naïve little child." Sage placed his hand on her head. "Of course I am. We all have to die at some point. And my time is coming soon."

"No," Luna said, her eyes swelling up with tears. She pushed his hand off her head and ran out of the room.

"Poor thing," Chopper said.

"I agree," Sage said. "But she has to understand that I'm not going to live forever."

 _'He seems to talk about death a lot.'_ Neo thought to Law.

 _'Some people do when they are reaching the end of their life. He's also clearly trying to prepare Luna for that time. With how her past is she probably clings to Sage like you cling to me.'_

 _'I suppose so. Still, it's really sad.'_ Neo smiled at the old man. "Mind if I take a look at one of your books? I really love to read as well."

"Go right ahead and make yourselves at home," Sage said, gesturing to a bookcase across the room. "Those are mine over there."

Neo released her hand from Law's and wondered over to the books. Running her eyes over them, she said, "You did write all of this?"  
"I did," Sage said. "I've been writing for many years."

"So incredible," Neo said. Tracing her finger over a couple book spines, she plucked one off the shelf and opened it. She instantly got sucked into the words on the pages and became unaware of her surroundings or the fact that Usopp and Franky had already started their construction.

"Perhaps we should have left the house before they started on it," Sage said over the pounding of hammers and saws.

"Don't worry about it," Chopper said. "Franky is really good at his job. He's actually a top shipwright. He'll be done in a little while."

"You all seem rather gifted," Sage said his eyebrows lifted on his forehead. His eyes wondered back over to Neo. A soft chuckle came from him. "She doesn't even know we're hear anymore, does she?"  
"She missed out on a lot growing up," Law said. "Once we started educating her, she developed a love of reading. Her father also loved to read so she surely gets some of that from him."

"So where did Luna go?" Chopper asked. "Should one of us go after her?"

"It's not necessary," Sage said. "She has many places she runs too when she's upset so she can sulk for a while. She'll come back when she's hungry enough." He looked back over at Neo. "Isn't she getting tired standing up? I know she's expecting a child."

Law looked over at Neo. It had only been a couple minutes since she started to read, but he could feel her legs tiring already. "Neo, come back here and sit down."

Neo obey. With her eyes still locked on the book in her hands, she walked over to Law, easily missing the coffee table as she went. Sitting back down, she leaned into Law's chest.

"Well, I've never seen such a thing," Sage said in amazement at how Neo managed to get back to Law without looking.

…

Neo spent the next two hours devouring the books Sage had written himself. Within that time, Franky and Usopp had finished up the remodeling and had returned for some pleasant, everyday, conversations with Sage. It was only when her stomach rumbled with hunger that she finally pulled her eyes from the fourth book she was reading. "Law, I'm hungry."

"I know." Law nodded. "What would you like to eat?"  
"I'm not sure," Neo said, tilting her head. "But I want to eat here."

"I'm afraid I really don't have much to offer you all," Sage said.

"No worries," Neo replied. "Franky, Usopp, would you mind running to the store?"

"Sure thing," Usopp said. "What would you like for us to get?"

"Fish!" Neo chirped. "I feel like having fish and some onigiri with fresh veggies and fruit!"

"You got," Franky said as he and the sniper headed out the door.

"Well, that does sound good," Sage said.

"If you don't mind me using your kitchen, I'll get started right now," Neo said standing up.

"Of course," Sage said. "Be my guest."

"I'll help!" Chopper announced. He jumped of the couch, placed his hoof in Neo's hand, and followed her into the kitchen. Both momentarily marveled at Franky's work in redecorating the kitchen. While they hadn't seen it before hand, they could easily guess the mess it was in from seeing the parts of the house they had seen when walking through it. Now, everything was brand new. The sink and stove shimmered, the fridge hummed along, and the room smelled like fresh paint. Surprisingly, the dishes were in decent condition. So the two pirates pulled out what they would need and started cutting up the vegetables and fruits while they waited for Franky and Usopp to return with the fish. Once they did it only took Neo five minutes to finish everything up and have it sitting out on the newly constructed table in the small dinning room. "Come and get it!"

"Great!" Usopp said walking into the dinning room. "I'm starving."

"Easy, Grandpa," Luna said, holding his hand while she helped him into the dinning room and guided him to a chair.

"Thank you, Luna," Sage said, sitting down. His eyes skimmed over the meal in front of him. "This looks absolutely delicious, Neo."

"Thanks." Neo's cheeks flushed. "I hope you like it. I didn't know what you two like to eat so I put all kinds of vegetables and fruits out." She pressed her hands to her face, tears gathering her eyes. "Oh, dear! I should have asked! Do you two even like fish?! I'm so sorry!"

"Calm down, my dear," Sage said. "We are very fond of fish."

"R-really?" Neo sniffled.

"We are." Sage nodded.

"Why in the world would you get so upset over fish?" Luna asked.

"It's Neo's hormones," Chopper said. "It happens to all pregnant women, or most of them."

"Oh," Luna said, eyeing Neo's round stomach.

"Please," Sage said, gesturing to the empty across from him and beside Law. "Sit down now."

"Okay!" Neo chirped happily as she sat down.

"If having such crazy mood swings happen so drastically like that, I don't ever want to have a baby," Luna said, scooping some broccoli onto her plate.

"Elementals mood swings are more severe than humans," Law said.

"Still don't want kids," Luna said.

"You're only eight," Franky said. "I know you'll change your mind later on."

"I will not," Luna informed him.

"Sure thing, kid," Usopp said. "So what do you want to do when you grow up?"

"I don't know," Luna said. "I just want to take care of my grandpa."

"And after that?" Usopp probed.

Luna looked up at the sniper with a sharp glare before dropping her eyes back down to her plate.

"Sorry," Usopp said with a nervous laugh.

"Don't worry about it," Sage said. "She's just being stubborn. She really hasn't tried many things so she's not sure what she wants to do as an adult. But she does love the sea a lot. So I won't be surprised if she does something involving that."

"Grandpa!" Luna said. "Don't tell them that!"

"You like the sea, do you?" Neo asked. "Have you ever been in it?"

"No," Luna said honestly. "I don't have time with taking care of my grandpa."

"Then you must come see us one day," Neo said.

"What for?" Luna asked.

"I can take you under the sea," Neo said. "With my crystals we can easily breath underwater."

"You can…" Luna's voice trailed off. Her eyes shimmered with peak interest.

"I think you have her attention, Neo," Franky said.

"Would you like that?" Neo asked.

"Ye-Maybe," Luna said. She jammed her fork into a steaming potato and put it in her mouth, not even bothering to taste it before swallowing.

"She's trying so hard to not show her excitement," Usopp said with a snicker.

"Kids," Franky said.

"You both should come by then," Chopper said. "If you don't then Luffy will come here and drag you there."

"That's right," Neo said. "You saw how he was the other day."

"Oh, yeah," Luna grumbled. "That rubber moron."

"You can even bring your grandfather," Neo said.

"No way! Grandpa is not going in the sea! I don't care if you can control the elements!" Luna said.

"He doesn't have to go in the water," Neo said. "But he can come out and enjoy the weather. It's supposed to be clear and nice for several days. And the rest of our crews would love to meet you both."

"That would be nice. I haven't been outside in some time now," Sage said.

"Grandpa, you need to stay home and rest," Luna said.

"I can rest outside," Sage said, placing his hand on the girl's head. "You worry too much. Besides, this is a great opportunity for you to make some friends."

"I don't want to make friends," Luna said.

"Well, it's too late for that," Usopp said. "You've already gained a lot of new friends."

"Huh?" Luna looked at the sniper.

"We're your friends now," Usopp said. "I'm sure Luffy's already said that to you. So it's settled."

"You pirates are insane," Luna said.

"Perhaps." Usopp shrugged.

"Fine," Luna said with an exhausted sigh. "We'll come see your dumb ships and play in the stupid water."

"Great!" Chopper said. "Luffy will be happy!"

"Whatever," Luna said. She shoved another bite of potato into her mouth, tasting it this time. Her eyes lit up at the just right flavor of the salt and pepper that danced over her tongue. Without any hesitation, she dove into the food, devouring it almost as fast as Luffy would if he were here.

"I think she likes your cooking," Franky said.

"I believe so." Neo smiled.

"It is very good," Sage said. "You, my dear, are a wonderful cook."

"Thanks," Neo said with a bright smile. "I took the liberty of making some extra for you two. It's in the fridge. All you have to do is warm it up."

"Thank you," Sage said. "That was very nice of you to do."

…

Art walked at a fast pace through the halls as he headed to the Council's receiving room. His boots thumped on the floor, echoing throughout the hallow halls of this place. The air was stiff and slightly cold, but he barely noticed. He had more important things to worry about. And that was Law. Once he had exited the training grounds, he immediately sent out messengers to his fellow Summoners and to the Council about an important issue he wanted to discuss with them about Law. It was now time for that meeting. It had taken two hours to gather everyone up and find substitutes for the other three trainers.

Reaching the doors, he grabbed the handles and threw them open without even knocking. He proceeded into the room, eyeing the others to make sure they were all here. They were. The Council, like always, was sitting up in their thrones, looking down at him. The other three Summoners were standing in front of the Council. Charger looked very displeased with the interruption of his lessons.

"What's the big idea interrupting us?" Charger asked just as Art came to a sudden stop in front of them. "We were busy with our classes."

"I know," Art said. "But I have urgent news about Summoner Trafalgar that you all will want to hear."

"What is it?" Mohan asked.

"And it better be good." Fatin crossed her arms over her chest. She lifted up her right foot, revealing cotton balls stuck between her toes. "I was in the middle of a pedicure. Which I'd really like to get back to."

"Of course, Council Fatin," Art said. "But I assure you this is very important."

"Then get on with it," Morana said.

"Summoner Trafalgar is advancing at an abnormally fast rate," Art reported.

"What do you mean?" Zip asked. "He's been advancing normally for me."

"I say he's advancing abnormally slow," Charger said.

"You're only saying that because you dislike pirates," Zip said. "He's doing just fine." He elbowed the only quiet one in the room, Lavi. "Right, Lavi?"  
Lavi didn't reply. He just stared at the ground and rubbed his arm.

"Why are you asking him?" Charger said. "He hasn't trained yet with the _pirate_."

"He will soon enough," Zip said. "And I know he'll agree with me."

"Enough," Art said. "I'm being serious."

"Perhaps you should explain in more detail what has been going on," Mohan said, resting his chin in his hand.

"As you know, I've only been training Summoner Trafalgar for a few days," Art said. "Today he was able to easily handle snapping out a hundred vines."

"A hundred?" Morana asked, alarmed.

"That's not possible," Fatin said. "You must have miss counted them."

"I did not miss count them," Art said. "I know how to count. Plus, the Elemental Princess has noticed that he is advancing at an alarming rate as well."

"Why would we care about her?" Fatin asked, her lips pooching out in a pout.

"Get over it, Fatin," Morana said. "He'll never be yours."

"If I wanted him bad enough," Fatin said.

"Enough," Mohan ordered. "You have more important things to do than pine after that guy."

"I'm doing my job just fine," Fatin protested. "I will continue to advance on him as I wish."

"Then don't come crying to us when the Princess of the Elementals turns her people on you for trying to satisfy your lust," Mohan said.

"It's not lust," Fatin said.

"Summoner Trafalgar was also able to easily coil his vines and use them as springboards as well as create two quakes, spreading them out in about a five hundred yard ratios," Art continued.

"Five hundred yards?" Morana gasped. "And made two of them?"

"Yes." Art nodded.

"That is unusual," Mohan said. "But it's nothing to worry about."

"It's not?" Art questioned.

"Well, we have to take into consideration that the Summoner's Moon is quickly approaching," Mohan said. "You know the Summoner's Moon always has the ability to increase our powers a bit."

"Yes, a bit," Art said. "But not this much. And certainly not four weeks in advance."

"You are not taking in consideration that he is also bonded to the Princess of the Elementals," Mohan added. "It's possible that their connection has an affect on his Summoner's power since both are nature based."

"I suppose so," Art said, wondering if he was over thinking things.

"Don't worry about it," Morana said.

"You all just keep a close eye on him during his training," Mohan said. "Then, after the Summoner's Moon passes, if he doesn't go back to normal then we'll worry about it and figure out what's going on with him."

"Are you sure that's what you wish?" Art asked.

"It is," Mohan said.

"Agreed," Morana and Fatin said.

"Can I get back to my pedicure now?" Fatin asked.

"Yes, you can go," Mohan said with an exhausted sigh.

"That girl," Morana said. "Sometimes I wonder why we agreed to let her become one of the Council. She does her nails and flirts with men more than her duties."

"Yes, but she is still young," Mohan said.

"If you all will excuse me," Charger said, shooting Art a disapproving glare "I'm going to get back to my lessons before the kids run off."

"Yeah." Zip put his hands behind his head and walked towards the door. "I might as well get back to my lessons as well."

Lavi only nodded and followed the two towards the door.

Art sighed.

"Don't worry about it, Art," Mohan said.

"You did correct in bringing this too us since you are so concerned about it," Morana added. "But you don't need to worry."

"With all due respect," Art said, "I don't think you three are taking this seriously enough."

"What do you mean?" Mohan asked.

"The Mortem Orb," Art said.

"Why bring that up?" Morana asked. "It's safely sealed away in Mount Zion."

"I know that," Art said. "But it's still possible that the orb can get free of the seal."

"It's impossible," Mohan said. "No one even knows what summons to use to break it. It was destroyed long ago. The Mortem Orb will never be used again on this planet."

"I suppose so," Art said, dropping his eyes to the floor.

"Go on now," Morana said. "You should take the day off."

Art opened his mouth to protest, but he had nothing more to say about it. Instead, he said, "Yes, ma'am."

"I wonder," Mohan said after Art had closed the door to the room.

"What?" Morana asked.

"If this new Summoner is really strong enough to control the Mortem Orb," Mohan said.

"Don't be silly," Morana said. "It's impossible."

"Perhaps," Mohan said. "I still think we should be wary of _him_."

…

Neo sat hugging a pillow to her chest. The murmurs of the crew and the crackling of their fire were distant in her ears. Her eyes drifted up to the room Topaz was currently living in. Her Elemental sister was currently getting ready for her date with Elek. And she was still having mixed feelings about it. Still, she wasn't going back out of this. She had made up her mind that it was fine for Topaz to do this. She lowered her eyes back to the ground. An arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to a warm body.

"It'll be fine," Law whispered into her ear before placing a kiss on her temple.

Neo nodded. Her body went numb when she felt Topaz finally coming near her. The distant murmurs of the crew silenced. She looked up to find Topaz dressed in a light green button up top and a matching skirt. Forcing the words out of her mouth, she said, "You…look good."

"Thank you," Topaz said, easily picking up on Neo's discomfort.

Neo dropped her eyes back down.

Topaz sighed softly and walked over to her. She nodded her thanks to Law when he retracted his arm from Neo's waist. Wrapping her arms around Neo, she hugged her tenderly. "It'll be okay, little sister. I won't be gone long. I promise."

Neo nodded.

"I'll see you later." Topaz pressed a kiss to Neo's temple before standing up and headed off for her date.

Neo bit the inside of her cheek to hammer down her desire to run after Topaz. She was grateful that Topaz and Elek had decided it was best for Topaz to meet him in town. It didn't make sense for him to come all the way out here just to have to walk back into town. She wasn't sure if she would have been able to stand her ground if he had come out here. She could feel everyone's eyes upon her, but she couldn't bring herself to look up at them. She knew that she wouldn't be able to hold back her tears if she looked at her family right now. Instead she just relaxed against Law when he pulled her back to his side and focused on her breathing.

The next couple of hours went by painfully slow for her. Her brain was unable to register the things going on around her. She didn't noticed her family sparing with each other, the conversations they had, how and when the day had turned to night, she didn't even noticed when they had ate dinner or the fact that Law had fed her through their entire meal, she didn't even noticed that it was currently just her and Law sitting outside. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to her, Topaz's fire reappeared beside her.

"I'm back," Topaz said.

Neo leaned against her sister. "Good." She paused. She didn't want to ask about her sister's date, but for whatever reason, she did it anyway. "So…how was it?"

"It was great," Topaz said. "He took me to that Skylight restaurant we ate at the other day, we danced a bit, went for a little walk, and here I am."

"Did he…kiss you?" Neo asked, her heart strumming against her chest.

There was a pause before Topaz's voice, soft and comforting, said, "Yes."

Neo's bottom lip trembled. She leaned into Topaz's arms, a tear streaking down each of her cheeks. She whispered, "Okay. That's okay. I don't mind."

Topaz looked up at Law. Both knew Neo did mind, at least a little bit, but the young blue haired pirate was doing her best to adjust to this still all to new change. The three of them remained outside for another hour. At that time, Neo had finally fallen asleep. Law picked her up and carried her into their apartment room where he allowed Topaz to tuck her in before leaving. After preforming his typical nightly routine, he crawled into bed with her.

…

 **Apple Bloom: No worries. I know technology can be a pain at times.**

 **Catiorro: This clear it up? Luna does have a real grandpa. Glad ya like Elek and Topaz so much. We'll see what happens.**


	17. Animabilis

Animabilis

"Is he really a trainer?" Luffy asked after he, Neo, Law, and Chopper had landed at the training ground. Since Law was starting his Animabilis training, they weren't surprised to find the fourth Summoner they met the other day. They were surprised to see how shy the man was being. He had his head down, his hands in his pockets, and his boot was drawing a circle in the dirt.

"I don't remember him being shy," Neo said. She clung to Law's arm, pressing her cheekbone into his shoulder while he traced circles over her hand with this thumb. They had been there for about five minutes and the man had yet to even acknowledge they were there.

"Are we sure this is him?" Chopper asked. "Could this be someone else? Maybe he has a twin?"

"I doubt it," Law said.

"I do too," Neo said. "He still has his lion guardian inside of him."

"He could have a twin with the same guardian," Chopper said.

"I suppose that's possible," Neo said.

"Hm? There are two of them?" Luffy said, tilting his head like he was confused. "He looks the same to me."

"He is the same, Straw Hat," Law said.

"I guess you had better get started." Neo looked up at Law. Her eyes telling him she didn't feel like letting him go.

"You can cling to me later, love," Law said before pressing a kiss to her lips.

"Okay," Neo said, reluctantly releasing her hold on him. With a sigh, she and the two Straw Hats she was with, sat down on the ground where they always did. Feeling a bit tired, she summoned an earth crystal, and fixed her a soft flower and petal seat that smelled like lavender. Seeing the stars in Luffy and Chopper's eyes, she made them chairs as well. Once they were settled, they relaxed into the flower chairs and locked their eyes onto Law.

…

Law walked over to the man. Staring down at him, he recalled his name, Lavi. His brain was going over reasons as to why Lavi was acting differently from the first two times they saw him. The only thing he could come up with was some kind of personality disorder or this was just a façade. The thought rattled him a bit. He couldn't help but wonder if that would affect his training at all. Finally annoyed with the man circling his boot in the dirt, Law addressed him. "Can we start training now?"

Lavi took a shy glance up at Law. He swallowed hard and straightened up. Wringing his hands, he said, "O-okay…l-lets get started."

Law nodded.

"Okay, um, we're going to start with summoning animal strength," Lavi said, flicking his eyes back and forth from Law to the ground. "What y-you do is form your aura a-around your body and say Orb of Animabilis then say Strength of whatever animal you're going for."

"Any animal?" Law asked.

"L-let's start off with a gorilla," Lavi said. "Since it's a gently animal most of the time, it…it should be easy for you to control."

"And that's all I do?" Law questioned.

"For the moment," Lavi said, taking a quick glance at Law before looking back down at the ground. "Once you can maintain the strength of the gorilla within your aura, we'll move on to physical exercise so you can get use to holding onto the strength and moving."

Law nodded in understanding. This part of his training sounded pretty much like the rest. He gathered his aura around his body. Exhaling, he said, "Orb of Animabilis! Strength of a Gorilla!"

He waited. For a few seconds nothing happened. Then suddenly, he felt a lot of pressure on his body. Despite not physically changing, he felt like his insides were changing somehow. He stumbled a bit, his muscles burning like fire.

…

Neo winched at the burn she felt in their muscles. She wrapped her arms around herself, willing the pain to go away for all three of them.

"Neo, are you all right?" Chopper asked.

"Is something wrong?" Luffy added.

"I'm fine," Neo said. "Its just Law. There's some pressure on our bodies from this lesson and our muscles feel like they're on fire."

"Is that normal?" Luffy asked. "Should Tra stop?"

"No, it's fine," Neo said. "The pain is lightening up a bit."

"Thank goodness." Chopper pulled out his blood pressure cup and placed it on her arm. "Your blood pressure is up a bit. Try to relax more. Deep breaths please."

Neo nodded and obey his order.

…

Law felt a lot better when the pain started to lighten up, mostly for Neo and their baby's sake. Then the pain completely subsided along with the gorilla. Wobbling, he dropped to his knees, the blue aura around him vanished.

"Not bad. You held it for an entire minute," Lavi said. "I expected you to hold the gorilla strength much longer, but you out ranked pretty much everyone else with that one. Usually, a person can only handle that somewhere better fifteen and thirty seconds. When you're ready try it again."

Law glanced up at the man, noting that Lavi's confidence had grown in abundance. Pushing it aside, he got back onto his feet and tried again. He tried it again. Pulling his aura around him, he summoned the gorilla strength again. This time he held it for three minutes before the connection broke. It took thirty minutes before Law could hold onto the strength. "I've got it. What do you want me to do now?"

"Do some of your typical training," Lavi said.

Law lifted an eyebrow at the man.

Lavi shrugged. "I told you that you have to get use to this. Moving around in your familiar ways of training will be a lot easier for you rather than trying something else. Once you get good at it, I'll change your training to something you're not use to."

Law nodded in understanding. Pulling out his sword, he went through his typical training sessions with his sword. After a little while he decided to take off his shirt. Not because he was getting a bit sweaty, which he was, but he did it for Neo. A smirked formed on his lips when he felt her heart rate increasing. Getting her excited like this would never get old. He could clearly see her shocked expression the first time she saw him without his shirt on. That was when they were still docked at Amazon Lily. She had walked out on the deck to go to the island to meet up with her Amazon friends but froze and backed up into the sub when she saw him. She was so innocent then. She still was now. And he loved her all the more for it.

An hour later, Law had this completely under his control.

"All right," Lavi said. "Let's move on." He gathered his yellow aura around him. "Orb of Animabilis! Strength of a Gorilla!" He was set. "Now, let's spar."

Law nodded. He sheathed his sword then placed it on the ground. Holding up his fists, he readied himself. With striking speed, Lavi was right upon him. He shot his wrist up, blocking Lavi's punch. Much to his surprise, he felt his body flying backwards until he collided with the solid ground.

"Not as easy as you thought it was going to be, huh?" Lavi hovered over Law. His eyes revealing to pirate that he enjoyed knocking him down, but it was a different enjoyment from Charger's. There was a predatorily air in this guy's eyes.

Law was beginning to think he was right in his assumptions of the man having multiple personalities. Or this guy's shy, friendly nature really was just a façade. He had to figure it out. He had to figure out who this Lavi really was. He pushed himself back to his feet. Readying his body again, he braced for Lavi's next attack. It happened again. Only this time Law was able to push back against Lavi's attack before flying backwards again.

The training session went on like that for the next hour. Getting more use to the gorilla strength, Law threw a punch at Lavi. He felt his knuckles connecting with Lavi's jawbone. Pushing with all his strength, he pushed the Summoner until he was the one flying through the air. A smile curled upon Law's lips. A thrill of enjoyment ran through his body. He was really starting to like this training. This particular summons could give him a lot of strength. An urge to use his Devil Fruit powers flooded into him. He had to do it. He had to use it. He had to see what would happen, to see how strong he would be.

 _'Law! Don't you dare!'_ Neo cut into his thoughts before he could execute them.

 _'Huh?'_

 _'Don't "Huh" me! I know what you were going to do! And don't you dare do that until you've gotten a better handle on this power!'_

Law sighed. He felt her tears gathering in her eyes. He pushed the desire to using hi Devil Fruit away. She was right. He didn't need to chance it until he got better control over his Summoner powers. _'I'm sorry, love. Don't cry. I won't do it. I can wait. I didn't mean to upset you.'_

 _'It's fine. It's just…you seemed different for a moment. I didn't like it.'_

 _'It won't happen again. I promise.'_

 _'Okay. And try not to let your sadistic side out when you do gain better control over this. You have an advantage over the Summoners with your Devil Fruit powers.'_

 _'Yes, love. I'll behave.'_

 _'Good boy.'_

 _'That's right. I'll be a good boy now and a bad boy later.'_ Law sent her a sexual image. He chuckled when he felt her heart race and her cheeks flush.

 _'Law!'_

 _'You're still so innocent.'_

 _'Oh! Get back to work! Or you won't get any sex later!'_

 _'Yes, Captain.'_

Law refocused his energy. Turning back to his opponent, he locked into hand to hand combat with the man for the next hour. Suddenly, he felt something change in Lavi. He wasn't quite sure what it was or how he knew that it was happening.

 _"He's calling upon his real animal guardian," Seal said._

 _"So that's what he's doing," Law said. "I sense something but wasn't sure what it was."_

 _"I wonder if others can sense the change as well," Neo said._

 _"I'd say yes since they basically have animal instincts with their auras around them," Law said._

 _"And Lavi's guardian is the lion," Neo said. "The one who's supposed to be king of the jungle. Be careful, Law. I think he's going to try and trick you."_

 _"I got that impression too," Law said._

 _"I'm here if you need me, Cub," Seal said._

 _"Right." Law nodded_. _"Since he's going to switch animals I might do that as well."_

Law kept a careful eye on Lavi when the man charged for him again. They exchanged a couple rounds of punches and kicks. In the middle of one set of flying fists, he caught movement from Lavi's aura. Tossing a roundhouse kick to Lavi's head, he wanted the man to duck. A smirk appeared on his lips when Lavi did just what he wanted. Twisting his own body a little more, he pulled his aura around his eyes and found that Lavi's aura had shifted into a tail and was coming for his ankle. Waiting for the right second, Law launched himself into the air. With a thump of his boots, he landed back on the ground and smirked at Lavi. "I guess in your Summoners' nature to try and constantly trick a new Summoner."

Lavi's eyebrows lifted on his forehead. "I didn't expect you to see that so easily." He stood up. "But with how you're progressing, I guess I should be surprised. How did you know?"

"I could sense the change in you aura," Law said. "You switched back to your lion form or whatever it is."

"I see," Lavi said, his lips dipping down with no desire to hide his disappointment. "I think Art might be correct about you."

"On what?" Law asked.

"You're advancing at a strangely fast pace," Lavi said. He shook his head. "Newcomers shouldn't be able to sense the animal change until after they work with animal auras that have stronger noses. I hope the Council is correct and the Summoner's Moon is only to blame."

"When is the Summoner's Moon?" Law asked.

"In about a month," Lavi said.

"I guess you all will know then," Law said. "Now, stop talking and start training me like you're suppose to."

Lavi smiled. "Very well then. How about we step it up a little bit?"

"What did you have in mind?" Law asked.

"We train in our animal guardian forms," Lavi said.

"It's the same as it is now?" Law questioned.

"It's the same." Lavi nodded. "We can do the same summons in our animal form just like we can as we are now."

"I get it," Law said, his body starting to change forms. "Let's do it then."

Lavi nodded again. His body also started to change forms. His skin was replaced with that of a lion's. Once the two men had changed completely, they charged at each other, exchanging several blows with their auras, aura weapons, and increasing their strength by summoning other animals.

"Orb of Animabilis! Flight of a Falcon!" Lavi shouted out at one point. Gaining the flight of the bird, he took off into the air then swooped down to strike Law with his wing shaped aura.

Law and Neo flinched when the man's aura wing cut through Law's skin on his upper arm. The pirate then followed suit. He called upon the Animabilis Orb to give him the flight of a falcon too. "Orb of Animabilis! Flight of a Falcon!"

The fight was taken to the air.

…

"Wow!" Luffy exclaimed, his hand over his face, shielding his eyes from the sun as he watched the battle intensify in the air with each strike.

"They're moving so fast!" Chopper said. "I can barely keep up with them!"

Neo had to agree. It wasn't surprising that Lavi was this fast, but it was for Law.

…

The battle continued. Law and Lavi exchanged blow after blow until they were both tired from flying around. They dropped back to the ground. Their battle continued. It intensified again. Law could feel a wild side of him trying to come out. And he wanted it to come out.

He nailed Lavi on the nose. A smile formed on his lips from the blood that dripped from the man's face. It smelled stronger than it ever had before. It excited him. And it made him wonder if that was because of his connection to Seal. He wanted to sink his teeth into Lavi's flesh.

"Now this is getting exciting," Lavi said, brushing away the blood.

"You're enjoying this?" Law asked, hopeful that he would say yes.

"I might be," Lavi said.

"Good," Law said. He could feel his sadistic nature swirling inside of him, mixing with his desire to see and taste blood. Summoning his aura, he slammed his boot on to the ground and shouted out the summons, making Lavi lose his footing. He charged forward, clipping the man on his chin, before getting a punch to his on gut.

The battle erupted into an explosion of vine snaps, mini quakes, animal aura changes, aura weapons, and several other offensive and defensive moves.

…

Neo watched Law with both a sigh and a frown on her lips. Her body flinched and she cringed each time Law got hit. But what bothered her the most was his strange desire to see and taste blood. She chalked it up to his sort of animal nature now. Still, it wasn't like him to be like this. Yes, he could be sadistic, but that was only towards his enemies. Lavi wasn't an enemy. She might not like the Summoner, but she knew that he wasn't an enemy. And yet here was Law, enjoying making Lavi cringe under his beating. She couldn't take watching this anymore. To all of them, she announced, "I'm going back to the apartment."

"All ready?" Chopper asked.

Neo stood up. "Yeah. I don't feel like watching this anymore. I'll see you later, Law."

 _'All right.'_ Was all Law said.

Neo sighed and head off walking back towards the apartment.

Chopper and Luffy exchanged looks before following after her. Halfway back she finally engulfed them in her winds and flew them the rest of the way.

"What are you two up to?" Neo asked when she, Chopper, and Luffy got back to the tree house apartments. Her two favorite brothers were huddled together in a hushed conversation.

"Nothing," Shachi said.

"Yeah, sure you're up to nothing," Neo said, crossing her arms. "Come on. Out with it."

"Okay," Penguin said, standing up to reveal a third person with them. "We decided what we were going to do with Bao for him cheating."

"Oh," Neo said. Her eyes drifted to a third party with her brothers. Startled by the newcomer, she jumped and grabbed onto Luffy's arm.

"Hm?" Luffy casted her a quick glance before patting her hand.

Sorry about that, Neo," Penguin said. "I guess we should have told you about her before you noticed her."

"It's okay. She just startled me. I wasn't expecting anyone else to be here. So who is she?" Neo asked, eyeing the oddly familiar blonde hair and jade eyes.

"This is Jade," Shachi said. "She's Bao's oldest sister. We ran into her earlier today."

"They told me what my darling little brother has been up to," Jade said. "I'm sorry for all the trouble he's caused you. He's a hopeless flirt. We've tried to break him of that, but he just insists on flirting with just about every woman on the planet."

"It's…fine," Neo said finally placing her coloring. It was the exact same as Bao's. The only difference between the two, besides their gender, Jade didn't have an animal guardian. "You're not a Summoner."

"No, I'm not," Jade said. "I was all ways too busy to train as one. Besides, there was a lot of other stuff I wanted to do so becoming a trainer never interested me."

"I guess that makes sense," Neo said.

"So what have you planned on doing to Bao?" Luffy asked.

"I hope it's nothing serious that will get us into trouble," Chopper said.

"No, it's nothing like that," Shachi said. "It's all in good humor. Or, at least, it will be for us."

"And your plan is?" Neo probed.

"Since Bao cheated with cards, we're going to turn him into one," Shachi said.

"We're going to paint the suites on his face and dress him in a homemade card suit while he's naked underneath," Penguin added.

"Then we're going to put him in the middle of the town where he'll wake up," Jade said.

"That's so cool!" Luffy laughed.

"Are you sure about that?" Neo questioned. "Isn't that just a bit mean?"  
"Considering how he's been acting around you, he's getting off easy," Penguin said in his protective big brother tone.

"Yeah!" Shachi nodded. "He's lucky we don't thrash him!"

"All right, all right," Neo said. "I understand. But I'm coming with you all to make sure you don't go overboard."

"Okay, but you're staying out in the hall while we dress him," Penguin said. "You know the captain won't want you in the room then."

"I know." Neo nodded. "I'm also telling Law what you're up to. I can't leave in the middle of the night and not tell him where I'm going."

"We understand," Shachi said.

"We figured that out already," Penguin said.

"So, Jade, are you planning on sticking around here for a while?" Neo asked.

"I suppose I could for a while," Jade said. "I don't have to go pick up the kids from their schooling until about three o'clock."

"You'll be joining us for lunch then," Neo said.

"Is that a problem?" Jade asked, her eyes filling with worry.

"Oh, no, it's fine," Neo said. "You're more than welcome to stay. I was just asking."

Jade nodded. "Thanks. I can help out if you need me to. I'm not the best cook, but I'm good enough."

"That's all right," Neo said. "You're our guest. I couldn't ask you to help."

"You'll love Neo's cooking," Luffy said, looping his arm around Neo's shoulders. "She, Sanji, and Basil are the best cooks in the world!"

"In that case I can't wait to try what you make," Jade said.

"Are you allergic to anything?" Neo asked.

"Not a thing," Jade said. "And I'm not a picky eater either. So whatever's on the menu, I'll eat it."

"You sounds just like your brother," Penguin noted.

"Our family had always been big eaters," Jade said.

"Really? You don't look it," Shachi said, his hidden eyes running over the curves of Jade's body.

Neo cleared her throat and gave him a deep frown.

"Someone's in trouble." Penguin snickered.

"Sorry," Shachi said, blushing.

"Just remember she's married," Neo said.

"So what are you three doing here?" Penguin then said. "Weren't you all watching the captain train?"

"We were," Chopper said with all Neo did was close her eyes in annoyance. "But Law was acting a bit strange. Neo's blood pressure was increasing so she suggested we leave."

"The captain's acting strange?" Shachi asked.

"I didn't think he was," Luffy said.

"Be quiet, Luffy," Chopper said.

"Neo?" Penguin asked.

"I don't know," Neo said with a sigh. "He just seems like he's…enjoying this training more than he should. He's more advanced that he should be."

"It could just be the Summoner's Moon that's causing this," Jade said. "I've also heard that he's a strong Summoner to begin with and that there are rumors your connection to him gives him an advantage."

"I know," Neo said. "I've heard all that too, but…I know Law. This just isn't him. He's almost cocky in his advancements."

"Try not to worry about it," Jade said in a motherly tone. She reached out to place her hand on Neo's shoulder.

"No! Don't!" Shachi and Penguin shouted and grabbed the woman's hand at the same time.

"What?" Jade blinked in confusion.

"Neo can't handle being touched by strangers," Penguin said.

"Oh, that's right." Jade quickly pulled back her hand. Her eyes widened while her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "You two told me that earlier."

"It's okay," Shachi said. "You just forgot."

"I won't do it again," Jade said, earning a nod of thanks from Neo. She then clapped her hands together. "I know! How about I tell you some stories of when Bao was young? That'll get you relaxed and lower your blood pressure."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Shachi said.

"Me too," Penguin said. "How about it, Neo?"

"Oh, all right," Neo said. She followed them over to the chairs and sat down with Luffy and Chopper. They waited for Jade to gather her thoughts and start talking again.

"Well, let's see now," Jade said. "I suppose I could start at the beginning. As surprising as it might be, Bao had a thing for women when he was just a baby."

"I believe it," Penguin said, earning an elbow to the arm from Shachi. "Hey!"

"Shut up and just listen!" Shachi snapped. "Go ahead, Jade."

"Okay," Jade said. "As I was saying, most of the time he would only let women hold him. He was fine when it as just men in the room, but when a woman came in he'd start crying until she held him. It was unbelievable. He would always place his hand on her breast."

"Can babies actually do that?" Neo asked. "I know they can move their hands and arms, but doing it purposefully?"  
"I think he was just a born pervert," Jade said. "He only got worse as he grew older. When he was six he would always try and get girls to kiss him."

"Sounds like he was, or is, sexually active," Penguin said.

"He is," Jade said. "But his attitude often gets him rewards with a slap instead of sexual satisfaction."

"I believe that," Shachi said.

"Once when he was a teenager a girl thought she would try and teach him a lesson," Jade said. "She pretended she got pregnancy by him. It totally blew up into a big deal so much to the point that her dad wanted to kill him. But when she told her dad what she was doing and how Bao acted, he played right along with her."

"How did it turn out?" Chopper asked.

"Bao stopped sleeping around for a while after she revealed she wasn't really pregnant," Jade said. With a heavy sigh, she sunk down in her chair. "But it didn't last very long before he went right back to his old ways. Honestly, it won't surprise me one bit if he has several offspring with several different women running around this planet."

"Bao doesn't seem like a very nice guy," Neo said.

"I suppose not," Jade said. "I don't care much for guys who sleep around that much either. Unfortunately, there's nothing that can be done about it. If Bao doesn't want to change then he never will. I'm worried. I'm afraid that one day he's going to cross the line with a married woman and get killed."

"I'm sorry," Neo said.

"Don't be," Jade said, looking up at Neo. "It's no one's fault but his. He's choosing this life and must face the consequences when they happen. Sometimes people just refuse to learn their lesson."

"Well, hopefully, our little trick will snap him out of cheating," Penguin said.

"I'm beginning to doubt he'll change at all," Shachi said.

"Whether he does or doesn't, this is still going to be fun," Penguin said, smiling.

"Bao is just far too good with his Summoner powers," Jade said. "He used them to run away from irate fathers. Probably still does considering how he's been acting with Neo on your sub. Poor Elek must have had a hard time with him out on the sea."

"Wait, Bao said that you and your other sisters use to dress him up as your own personal doll," Penguin said.

"We did," Jade said. "Does that matter for some reason?"  
"Well, I just think that if you did that he wouldn't want to be around women," Penguin said.

"I forgot about that," Shachi said. "That does sound like it would be a bit traumatizing for a young boy."

"Well, it didn't really affect him at all," Jade said. "It only embarrassed him a little bit and that was it."

"This guy sounds like a rock," Chopper said. He looked up at Neo. "No wonder he didn't get that you're married and never will be interested in cheating on Law."

Over the next couple of hours, Jade continued to tell the pirates about her brother's little escapades. Before long Sanji and Basil showed up and the three cook started on lunch. It wasn't long before the salty air was filled with the smells of grilling vegetables and sea pig meat. Then one by one the missing crewmembers started arriving back to their apartment campsite and introduced themselves to their guest before listening in on the stories Jade was telling them.

"Hello?" Neo said when her transponder snail started ringing.

"Hey, Neo," Tero's voice said. "I'm not going to make it back for lunch. I'm taking a pretty lady out instead."

"Oh, all right," Neo said, slightly displeased with this news. "Behave yourself. And you better be home in time for dinner."

"Aye, Captain," Tero said with a touch of sarcasm despite both knowing he would be there. "See you later."

"Bye," Neo said and hung up. Thirty minutes later, she started to wonder if Law was going to show up. She scanned her eyes around their surrounding area. Searching out for him, she found he was still at the training ground. An invisible hand squeezed her chest. She was about to call out to him when his Room appeared followed by the missing captain. A frown pulled down on her lips. "For a moment there I didn't think you were going to show up."

…

"Uh oh," Brook said. "Sounds like someone's not happy."

"I wonder what happened," Nami said.

…

"Sorry," Law said with a careless shrug that earned a few arched eyebrows. "I decided to stay and train a little while longer." He pecked her forehead as he passed by her. "I'm here now so don't worry about it."

Neo's eyes followed him, considering his odd behavior as he grabbed a piece of sea pig off the plate and popped it in his mouth. This was something he never did. He always waiting until everything was done and on the table. She glanced around at their crews, noting they were just as confused as she was. Exhaling, she forced herself to let it go. She looked up when Sanji and Basil rubbed her back. Her lips curled into a smile before they finished up their preparations for dinner.

…

"I'm going out later tonight with Penguin and a few others," Neo said once Law had joined her on the bed. "They finally figured out what they're going to do to Bao."

"I see," Law said. "Well, I hope they behave themselves."

"They will," Neo said. "I'm going to be with them after all."

"Well, you behave yourself too," Law said, laying down.

"Law?" Neo stared down at their blanket

"Hm?"  
She sighed. "Never mind. It's nothing."

"You sure?" When she didn't answer, he placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled her down to him. He kissed her hair. "You worry way too much."

"Sorry," Neo murmured. "I'm trying not to."

"Well, maybe this night out with the boys will help you relax," Law said. "Now, try and get some sleep before they come disturb us."

Neo nodded. Through their moonlit room, she stared up at Law. His eyes were already closed and she could sense he was drifting right off to sleep. She was glad he was. He needed to rest just as much as she did. Forcing herself to push the day's events out of her head, she closed her eyes and rested against Law's familiar body. Breathing in his familiar scent, she allowed it to lull her to sleep.

It wasn't long, or it didn't seem like much time had pasted, when a knock came on the door followed by Penguin's muffled voice saying, "Neo, it's us. We're ready to go. You awake?"

Waking up from an odd dream about Bepo running through a field of bunnies, Neo fluttered her eyes open. She moaned a bit as she shifted. She could feel Law stirring beside her. Before he could get up, she straddled over him. "Its just Penguin. They've come to get me for their prank."

"All right," Law said. "Don't stay out too long. You still need to rest."

"I know." Neo pecked Law's lips before climbing off the bed. She quickly pulled on a pair of pants and one of Law's hoodies before leaving the room.

"This is so exciting!" Luffy greeted her with a huge smile.

Neo only nodded in response. She wasn't awake enough yet for one. She barely registered Shachi wasn't with them as they descended down the stairs and that Penguin was carrying their supplies in a backpack. "Where's Shachi?"  
"He had to grab something from the sub," Penguin said. "He should be coming back any second now."

Sure enough by the time they stepped onto the ground, Shachi came running up to them. Neo instantly noticed a mischievous glint in the man's smile. She didn't bring attention to it in her still sleepy daze.

"Neo, are you sure you want to come?" Chopper asked, concerned.

"Yes, I'm just not awake yet," Neo said. "I'll be fine."

"Let's go then," Shachi said. "Jade will be waiting for us just outside Bao's apartment."

Neo nodded. Wrapping her winds around them, she lifted them into the air then followed their directions to one of the many apartments in the town. While in the air, she noticed it was in a prime location. It was only a few blocks from the building the council stayed in as well as the restaurants and shops. She wondered if he stayed here because he was a trusted worker for the Council. Surely Teal saved prime spots like this for those who worked directly under the Council. She also wondered if the four Summoners training Law lived in this building or homes. Come to think of it, she still didn't know much about them. She had no idea if they were single or had families.

"Hey! There she is!" Luffy shouted out, pointing down to the blonde woman on the sidewalk.

"Shh!" Penguin and Shachi clamped their hands over the young man's mouth. "Be quiet, Straw Hat! Do you want to get us caught?!"

Luffy mumbled from behind their hands.

"Keep it down, Luffy," Chopper said. "We don't want to wake up Bao."

"Sorry," Luffy said once he was freed.

Neo lowered them down to the ground.

"About time," Jade said, swinging the key to her brother's apartment on her finger while her other hand held two thin boards of some kind that had been painted to look like the Ace of Spades.

The sight of it made Neo think of Ace. She glanced over at Luffy to see if he had a reaction to the fake card. If he was upset about it, he hid it really well. But that was Luffy after all. Once he had come to terms with his bother's death it never seemed to bother him.

"You have a key?" Chopper asked.

"I do." Jade nodded. "He gave me one to take care of his apartment when he had to go searching for new Summoners. We pass it around the family, taking turns with taking care of the apartment when he's gone."

"Makes sense." Chopper nodded.

"Let's go," Jade said.

"Wait," Neo said suddenly.

"What is it?" Chopper asked. But before Neo could respond, Luna walked out from the alleyway. "Luna?"

"Ah!" Luna jumped from the unexpected call of her name. "What the…what the heck are you all doing out here?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Neo said, moving over to the girl. "It's late. You should be in bed."

"Mama Neo is at it again," Shachi said.

"Oh, hush," Neo tossed back at him.

Luna swallowed, adverting her eyes from the pirates and looking at Jade. "I was…I…just couldn't sleep. So I decided to go for a walk." She pulled her eyes back to the pirates with a firm look. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"Not unless someone decides to kidnap you," Penguin said.

Luna snorted. "No one's going to kidnap me. I have the pow-I mean…I'm a freak. No one cares about me."

Neo frowned, unaccepting of Luna calling herself a freak.

"What were you going to say?" Luffy asked.

"I said what I meant," Luna said.

"No you didn't." Luffy smiled, bending down to be closer to her height.  
"I did too!" Luna snapped.

"All right, all right," Neo said. "No fighting. I'll take your word for it now. But I don't want you wondering around out here any more by yourself. It's not safe."

Luna opened her mouth, most likely to protest, but quickly closed it before agreeing with Neo. "Fine. I'm sorry."

"Did I hear that right?" Chopper asked. "Did Luna really apologize?"

"Oh! Shut up!" Luna's cheeks flushed, even in the moonlit night, her white hair only made her blush stand out more.

"Are we going to stand out here all night or proceed with the reason we came here?" Jade asked.

"Sorry," Neo said, turning back to the woman. "Let's proceed."

Jade nodded. With a beckoning wave of her hand, she led them into the building.

Neo signaled for Luna to follow them. Surprisingly, the girl did without complain. They entered into the building to find an older man, in his fifties, was sitting outside of a room labeled: Superintendent. He tossed them a curious glance, noticed Jade, and then turned back to his newspaper, seemingly unconcerned since one of them was someone he clearly knew.

A giddy giggle passed between Shachi and Penguin when they moved up the stairs. It was evident that they were enjoying this. Neo wondered if it was a good thing to let them do this or not. But it was too late now. They had reached the second floor. Jade led them down to the sixth door on the right and inserted the key.

Neo looked around the room. It was rather different from their tree house apartment. This one wasn't built from plants at all. It was a normal building with no decorations on the walls at all. The kitchen was off to their right, the living room was combined with a small dinning room, while the bedroom and bathroom were on the left side of the room. Only one window was in the room with them. It had a dark curtain over it so very little of the moon's bright light was peaking through the edges. Still, they had enough light to move over to his bedroom. The group stood still, listening for the sign that Bao was still asleep.

"All right," Penguin said to Neo and Luna while the others entered into the room with Jade in the lead. "You two stay out here."

"Okay." Neo nodded.

"What? Why?" Luna asked. "We came all this way just to stay out in the living room?"

"You're too young to see a man naked," Shachi said, sticking his head back out the door.

"Why?" Luna asked.

"Because men and women's bodies are different," Shachi said.

"You're keeping us out because Bao has a penis?" Luna stared at them like that was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard.

Shachi and Penguin's faces flushed from the bluntness of the young girl while Jade tried to contain her laughter from inside of the room.

Even in the dark room, Neo would see her brothers' flushing faces. She shook her head at them.

"What?" Luna asked. "I might be a kid but I'm not stupid. Grandpa has told me that boys and girls are different."

"J-just stay out here," Penguin stuttered.

"Fine," Luna huffed as the men disappeared into Bao's bedroom. She leaned against the wall. "This is stupid. I can get why they wouldn't want me in there, but you're married. You've seen a naked man before, probably several."

"No, actually I've only seen Law naked," Neo said.

"Seriously?" Luna looked up at her. "But you're a pirate. I've seen your crew around town. They're always flirting with women and slipping off with them. I know what they're doing. The stupid look on their faces says it all."

"Not all pirates sleep around like that," Neo said. "We have a few crewmembers that don't. And I've only ever slept with Law."

"Before or after marriage?" Luna lifted an eyebrow at her.

"After." Neo smiled down at her stomach, rubbing it tenderly. "Because I'm a royal I wasn't allowed to have sex before marriage."

"Why?"

"Because my purity is connected to my magic," Neo explained. "If I was to engage in sex before married I would lose over half of my magic. Then I would be vulnerable."

"And Law was okay with that?"

"He was." Neo nodded. "He understood. And despite his urges to have sex before we were married he managed to hold out."

"You must have had one wild honeymoon then," Luna said.

"Actually, we didn't," Neo said. "We didn't have sex that night."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope. Law wanted me to get use to the idea of being married. He didn't want to pressure me into anything I wasn't ready for," Neo said. "He has always been like that ever since he first found me."

"You really have been damaged by your past," Luna said.

"I have." Neo nodded slowly. "But I have gotten a lot better. At first I never would look at anyone in the eye, I wouldn't speak, I cried a lot, and I was always afraid of everything. It was all thanks to Law. Despite not knowing what he was to do with me, he still kept me, educated me, helped me learn how to use my crystals so I wouldn't fear hurting anyone again."

"You hurt someone?" Luna asked softly.

"Accidently," Neo said. "When I was just a child, I accidently lost control and killed an entire island of people but for one person." She glanced down at Luna when the room became uncomfortably silent. Despite what she had divulged all she could see was contemplation in the young girl's eyes. "I'm sorry. I probably scared you with that. It's okay if you want to go back home now."

"No," Luna said, raising her eyes to Neo. "I'm glad you told me. I know you're not a bad person. I can tell that."

"Thank you, Luna." Neo smiled. "That's very sweet of you to say. I too can tell you're not a bad person. You're just scared about losing your grandfather, the only family you have."

"I am," Luna admitted. Clenching her fists, she stared down at the floor. "I don't know what I'm going to do after he's gone."

"You could come with us," Neo said.

Luna shot her eyes back up to Neo.

"I mean it," Neo said, noting the girl's confusion. "If you want it, you can have a home with us." She bent down closer to Luna so the girl could see the sincerity in her eyes. Her nose picked up on the smells off the forest causing her eyebrows to knead in confusion. She wondered if Luna was walking out in the forest and why such a young girl would be out there so late.

Luna opened her mouth to reply, but found she couldn't.

Pulling her thoughts from Luna's smell since it shouldn't have been much of a concern considering they lived so close to the forest, Neo wasn't surprised that the young girl was having a hard time processing her words. Luna didn't have many people showing her kindness. "Just think about it. There's no hurry for you to decide. And if you ever want to talk about anything, you can talk to me. I might not be the best at giving advice, but I might be able to help."

"Okay, we're ready," Chopper said as he came out of the bedroom.

"Is everything okay out here?" Jade asked upon noticing the odd quietness between Neo and Luna.

"Yes, everything is fine," Neo said, glancing over at Bao. The man was unconscious, she wondered if her brothers had drugged him or if he was just a sound sleeper, draped over Shachi and Penguin's shoulders. She then remembered Shachi coming from the direction of the sub. It wouldn't surprise her at all if he did pick up some drugs from the sub. She didn't ask. She didn't want to now.

"What exactly is he wearing?" Luna asked as she eyed the outfit they had put him in. The young man was dressed in what looked to be large homemade cards. His face was painted with all four suites of a card deck.

"Revenge," Shachi said.

Neo chuckled nervously when Luna shot her an, "And you want me to live with you people?" type look. Perhaps having a young child like Luna on the sub was a bad idea after all.

"You have bells in your laughter," Jade said.

"It's part of my Elemental royal heritage," Neo said.

"Can we move on to the next phase now?" Penguin asked. He grunted when Bao slumped forward and he had to reposition the man on his shoulders. "He's heavier than he looks."

"Let's go," Jade said, heading for the exit.

"This is so much fun," Luffy said, snickering.

"You pirates are so weird," Luna mumbled as they headed for the door.

The group made their way through the almost deserted town. Despite the late hour, there were still a few people roaming about. But luckily, they weren't spotted while they made their way to the center of the city. Once reaching the fountain, they saw the bed that Jade had set up earlier.

"This is going to be so great," Shachi said while they put Bao on the bed.

"If this doesn't teach him to not cheat, nothing will," Penguin said.

"So what now?" Luna asked.

"We wait for him to wake up," Chopper said.

"That could be a couple hours," Neo said, looking up at the moon. "It's only about three thirty right now." She looked back down. "I'm going to take Luna home then go back to the apartment."

"What? I don't want to go home yet," Luna said. "I want to see Bao's face."

"You're going home," Neo said, placing her hands on her hips.

"No, I'm not," Luna said, matching Neo's stance.

"Don't make me use my crystals on you," Neo said, summoning one of each. "I'll carry you all the way home. You need your rest."

Luna twitched while she eyed the crystals. With an annoyed huff, she conceded to the pirate. "Fine."

"You're going to make a wonderful mother," Jade said.

"I hope so," Neo admitted. "I still have no idea what I'm doing."

"Trust me," Jade said with a wink. "You're on the right track."

"See you all later," Neo said, wrapping her winds around herself and Luna. The group waved as they rose into the air. It didn't take long before they had arrived at Luna and Sage's house. "I'll see you later today. I'll be back about five to fly you and your grandfather over to the apartment."

"I know." Luna nodded. She reached for the door then paused. Turning around, she looked at Neo. "Can I ask you something?"  
"Of course." Neo nodded.

"Did…did you ever have a secret that you really wanted to tell someone about but was afraid you'd scare them off?" Luna asked.

"Yes," Neo said. "I kept killing those people on Mertensia to myself. It ate me up like crazy. I wanted to tell people about it but everyone always treated me so badly. But once it all came out to Law, I felt a lot better." She paused. "Do you have a secret you want to tell?"

Luna didn't response. She only stared at Neo before dropping her eyes down to the ground.

Neo waited patiently for Luna's next move. She could easily tell that something was in fact on the girl's mind. But Luna never said anything. The girl just opened the door and disappeared inside. She sighed but had no choice to let it go and head back to the apartment.

…

While the rest of the pirates waited for morning to come, Luffy and Chopper had fallen asleep while the other three chatted on about their families, adventures on the sea, and whatever else they decided to talk about. Before long the sun started peaking over the horizon and the island began to wake up. People began to pass by. Some just gave the sleeping man a curious look while others waited to see what would happen once he woke up. Then six thirty came and Bao started showing signs of waking up.

"Straw Hat, Chopper, wake up," Penguin said, shaking the two. "He's waking up."

"Huh?" Luffy opened his eyes, drool dripping down his chin.

"Oh, right," Chopper said, sleepily rubbing his eyes.

An unexpected wind caused them to look up at the two new arrivals.

"I didn't think you'd two would show up," Shachi said when Neo and Law landed.

"I couldn't help but be curious." Neo smiled. "As for Law, well, you know him."

Shachi and Penguin nodded, knowing all to well how it was their captain's sadistic nature that brought them out here. Then a startled scream brought their eyes back to Bao. The man had finally woken up and noticed the predicament he was in. He said, "Ah! What the heck?!"

Several people laughed at him, a lot coming from the pirates. A few mothers covered their kids' eyes and hurried them along.

Bao stumbled around a bit before noticing the pirates. "You!"

"What?" Shachi asked in between his laughing.

"You did this!" Bao said, stomping over to them. "Jade?!"

"What?" Jade asked innocently. "With the way you acted on their ship, what did you expect? That nothing was going to happen to you?"

"I can't believe…I didn't…I wasn't…I…" Bao couldn't find his words. His eyes drifted over the pirates and settled on Neo. "I expected better from you."

"They're my brothers," Neo said with a shrug. She felt Law's possessive side coming out as his hand slid into hers. She easily noticed Bao flinching while quickly adverting his eyes from them.

"Fine," Bao hissed. "You got your revenge." He stalked off. "I'm going home."

"Behave yourself next time, little brother," Jade said. After composing herself from her own laughter, she turned back to the pirates. "Well, I enjoyed this. But I have to get home now. My kids and husband are going to wonder where I am."

"Thanks for the help," Shachi said.

"Any time." Jade waved to them as she walked off.

"I'm hungry!" Luffy said, his laughter finally subsiding.

"Sanji has breakfast waiting for us," Neo said. She wrapped them up in her winds and took them all back to the apartments. After they all had eaten, they had once again separated to go to their destinations for the day.

…

Later that day, Neo, with Chopper tagging along like always, went to pick up Luna and Sage. The two were already outside waiting for their arrival.

"Good evening," Sage greeted them when they landed.

"How's it going?" Chopper asked.

"Very well," Sage said. "Thank you."

"Are you ready to go?" Neo asked, observing the two's clothing. Sage was wearing a nice button up white shirt with tan colored pants while Luna was wearing a simple black dress that looked newer than anything else she had seen the girl wear.

"Yes, we're ready," Luna said, her bat ears twitching lightly.

"Here we go then," Neo said. She wrapped her winds around their small group. Carefully, she lifted them into the air, careful to not go to high. She didn't want to stress Sage out from being so high. Law had cautioned her before leaving that Sage might not be able to handle flying. She understood. She was also grateful that Chopper had come with her. The little doctor was keeping a close eye on Sage while they flew. Soon they had reached the apartments and landed.

"Goodness," Sage exclaimed, sitting down. "That was amazing."

"Are you feeling okay?" Neo asked.

"Oh, yes." Sage nodded. "Don't worry about me. A little excitement never hurt anyone. You are a wonderful flier, my dear."

"Thank you." Neo twisted her toes in to the dirt nervously, her cheeks flushed.

"That's my love." Law kissed Neo's temple.

"Let's go see the Sunny!" Luffy shouted.

"Right now?" Luna asked.

"Why not?" Luffy asked.

"Aren't we eating soon?" Luna looked over at the grill where the two cooks bustled around.

"We have time," Luffy said.

"He's right," Neo said. "We have a little time before we eat. We can take a quick tour of the Sunny and the sub."

"Fine. Whatever." Luna shrugged.

"Would you like to come see the ships, Sage?" Neo looked at the old man.

"The Sunny is really awesome!" Luffy said. "Franky built it just for us!"

"Well, that sounds interesting," Sage said. "I'd love to see your homes."

"Law?" Neo turned to Law.

"You go ahead," Law said. "I'm going to get in a little more training."

"Okay," Neo said, reluctantly.

"I'll come with you," Franky said. "I've got to show off my baby."

Neo nodded. With that decided, she wrapped her winds around the group and carried them all the way to the Sunny. Like she knew he would, Franky talked nonstop to the two new guests to the Sunny. Luffy and Chopper occasionally threw in some comments. She remained quiet for the majority of the time, only throwing in a comment here and there.

"This is amazing craftsmanship, sonny," Sage said. "I'm impressed. I've never seen anything like this."

"Thanks, ol' man," Franky said with a bright smile.

"It's not bad, I guess," Luna said, scanning her eyes around the deck again.

"Oh, you don't have to be like that," Franky said, placing his hand on her head. "I can tell you really like the Sunny. Just let it out."

"I said it's fine." Luna pulled away from him. "That's all that needs to be said."

"Let's go see the sub now," Chopper suggested.

Neo nodded and took the to the sub. Like she did on the Sunny, she flew Sage everywhere so he didn't have to walk. She spoke of the sub during their tour until they finally came to her and Law's room.

"Who's the people in these pictures?" Luna asked, staring at Neo's Luminous corner.

"That's more of my family," Neo said. She pointed at each one when she spoke of them. "This is my brother, Kailen. My parents adopted him a few years before they had me. This is Shanks. He's my godfather. He helped me and my brother escape from Luminous when the darkness crystal attacked."

"Darkness crystal?" Sage wondered.

Neo explained it while she continued the tour of the sub.

"You really have been through a lot," Sage said.

"Yeah, but I'm better now," Neo said. "Thanks to Law and our crew."

Sage nodded in agreement.

Luffy stomach roared. "I'm hungry."

"It should be done about now," Neo said. "After we eat we can go for our swim."

"Yeah!" Luffy and Chopper cheered before running through the sub to the exit.

Neo shook her head at them and followed.

Once the group was back outside, Luna helped her grandfather sit down in a cushioned chair. "Here you go, Grandpa."

"Thank you, dear," Sage said as Luna stood beside him.

Neo turned towards the pirates and said, "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Luna and her grandfather, Sage. Be nice. They're our guests to night."

The pirates said their hellos and introduced themselves despite the fact Luna and Sage most likely wasn't going to remember all of their names.

"Would you like some coffee?" Sanji asked carrying over a mug and a hot coffee pot.

"Yes, that would be lovely," Sage said. "Thank you, young man."

"You're welcome," Sanji said, heading back to the grill. "Just holler if you need something else. My name is Sanji."

Neo glanced over at Law. Her lips curled down in a frown at seeing him training. She didn't want him to. She wanted him to cuddle with her. So she wondered over to Basil and Sanji to help them finish everything up. Not long after that they had the food spread out and everyone was eating.

Law had come back over. He sat down then pulled Neo onto his lap. He kissed her before they started eating. It was a calm meal. The group chatted on about their adventures on this island and others while Sage shared some of his own experiences in writing books and the fun things he use to do when he was young.

"So you were in the Navy," Tero said.

"I was." Sage nodded. "I had intended it to be my career until I got injured. So I had no choice but to retire early from it. I had always loved to write stories but being in the Navy I didn't get to do that much. Since I had so much time on my hands, I picked up a pencil and started writing again. Wrote a few pieces about the Navy too."

"So what type of marine were you?" Penguin asked. "Did you have any pirate friends or did you think they were all scum?"

"I had a few pirate friends," Sage said.

"Duh! That should have been obvious since he came here," Luna said.

"Seriously? We didn't even know he was in the marines before you came here," Shachi said. "If we had known, we would have been a bit more cautious."

"Don't worry about it, young man," Sage said. He ruffled Luna's hair. "She's just being a brat."

"Grandpa!" Luna protested.

More chatter passed between the group for a couple more hours. Sage talked more about his book and how life was in the Navy. Before long, Neo wrapped her winds around her small group. Lifting them up into the air, she floated them over to the sea. She lowered them down into the water, shielding them with an air bubble so they can breath. Glancing over at Luna, she found the young girl was trying her best to not show her excitement. But her lavender eyes betrayed her attempts. They were glowing with excitement, taking in every detail surrounding them.

"This is so cool!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Isn't it amazing, Luna?" Chopper asked.

"Yeah, I guess so," Luna said with a careless shrug.

"Ah, come on," Luffy said. Placing his knuckles on the sides of her head, he playfully dug them into her hair.

"Hey! Stop that!" Luna snapped. She pulled away from him and moved to Neo's other side.

"Just admit it," Luffy said. "You're having fun."

"I am not." Luna closed her eyes and tossed her head to the side.

"She's so stubborn." Chopper chuckled.

"It's okay if she wants to hide her excitement," Neo said. "There are some dolphins near by."

"Cool! Call them over!" Chopper and Luffy said, starry eyed. "I want to ride them!"

"Okay," Neo said. "Hello! Come play with us!"

The dolphin chirped and headed for the small ground. They circled around the air bubble, checking it and the people inside of it out. Neo then divided her arm bubble, wrapping individual ones around Luffy and Chopper. Once they were off, she looked down at Luna. "Would you like to ride one as well?"

"You're kidding, right?" Luna eyes the dolphins cautiously.

"They won't hurt you," Neo said, moving her hand through the bubble. One of the dolphins swam up to her, allowing her to touch its slick skin. "See? They're the friendliest creatures in the sea."

"I don't care," Luna said. "I just want them to stay away from me."

"Come on, Luna," Neo said. "They're not that much different from your animal guardian."

"I can control my animal guardian," Luna said, eyeing the dolphins cautiously.

"But I can control them," Neo said. "You trust me enough to bring you down here. So you can trust me now."

One dolphin floated up to Luna's eye level. He clicked and chirped at the white haired girl.

"What does it want?" Luna asked, shifting closer to Neo.

"He's just curious," Neo said. "He can sense the animal guardian inside of you."

"He can?"

"He can."

Luna continued to stare at the creature. Slowly, she reached out her right had to the dolphin. When her hand was about to go through the bubble, she grabbed Neo's hand with her left.

Neo eyebrows rose. She wasn't expecting Luna to do anything like that. Still, she curled her fingers around Luna's hand. Luna's hand was soft and lightly trembling. Both remained quiet until Luna had her hand pressed against the dolphin's head. Neo smiled when Luna's eye and her own smile lit up.

The dolphin leaned into the touch.

"He likes you," Neo said.

Luna nodded.

"Would you like to ride him?" Neo asked.

"Can I?" Luna looked up at Neo.

"He wants you to," Neo said. "I'll put a bubble around you."

"Okay!"

Neo nodded then shifted her bubble into two parts. She stayed close to Luna incase she got scared again by the sea life. But it never happened. They all enjoyed the swim under the sea for a while longer before Law called them back to the shore.

"Grandpa! It was so amazing!" Luna said. "I got to play with dolphins!"

"Oh?" Sage said. "Sounds like you had a good time."

"I did!" Luna nodded.

"That's good to hear," Sage said, standing up. "But it's time for us to go."

"Okay," Luna said, some of her happiness draining.

Neo flew them back to their house with Chopper and Law.

"Thank you again, Neo," Sage said before opening the door.

"Yes! Thank you!" Luna, surprising everyone, hugged Neo then bolted into the house before anyone could react.

"That girl." Sage chuckled. "Well, have a good night."

"Good night," Chopper said. "Luna's a nice girl after all, isn't she?"  
"Yeah," Neo said. "I knew she always was."

…

 **Catiorro: Glad to hear how much you like it. I was hoping it was hard to tell who's good and who's bad in this story.**

 **Apple Bloom: A few more chapters to come. It's not going to come out as long as I thought it was going to. At least I can get back to my other stories then. I feel guilty for putting them on hiatus.**


	18. Life Goes On

Life Goes On 

"I don't like this one bit," Shachi said. His eyes were locked onto his captain while his lips were locked into a hard frown.

"I don't like it either," Bepo said. "The captain's not himself anymore. It's like he's become possessed with trying to be the best at his Summoner powers."

"Perhaps this is what Neo's nightmares have been about," Penguin said. He crossed his arms and leaned back against a tree. His eyes were also locked onto their captain. They watched as the man they knew _slash_ through a small army of Summoner's with his own Summoner powers. Law shot out a hundred vines, trapping and striking at his _enemies_ , created multiple mini quakes every time he stomped on the ground, and constantly summoned different strengths of animals one right after another. "The captain's the same but also different."

"Maybe your right," Shachi said.

"I just want our captain back," Bepo said. His flattened ears suddenly perked up. Sniffing the wind, he looked around for the familiar scent he picked up on.

"What is it, Bepo?" Shachi asked when he noticed the bear sniffing the air.

"I can smell Luna," Bepo informed his crewmates.

"Luna's here?" Penguin looked around the forest. But the white haired girl was nowhere to be seen with in its lush green and brown scenery. "Are you sure? I don't see her."

"Yes, I'm sure," Bepo said with a nod. "She was here. But her scent is now gone. She must have moved downwind or left."

"Come to think of it," Shachi said, "the others have said they've seen her out here as well."

"Maybe she's just coming to check upon the captain," Bepo suggested.

"Possibly," Shachi said. "She has gotten closer to Neo these past few weeks. She could be worried about the captain in her own way and is coming to check on him for her."

Penguin sighed heavily when his best friend spoke of their sister.

"You should go check on her," Shachi said. "We'll stay and keep an eye on the captain."

Penguin nodded. With no other words to his crewmates, he turned and headed back to the sub. His mind was buzzing like bees had built their hive in his head. Part of him really didn't want to go see Neo in her current state. But his big brother instincts, who wanted to do everything he could to make her feel better, was greater. Picking up his speed, he started to jog towards their real home, the sub. It didn't take him long to break into a run. He sped by everything. Soon the smells of the forest was replaced by the salty air of the sea. He ran down the path until their water vessels came into his view.

Once close enough, he grabbed the ladder and practically flew up it. His feet thundered on the deck. The door was open so he knew that someone was with Neo, someone was always with her. He knew for sure that Chopper was one of them. The rest, he didn't know. She was loved by everyone so much it was hard to guess who she was going to be with at any point in time. Flying through the halls and down the stairs, he turned down the hall that led to Neo and the captain's room. When he reached it, he didn't even bother with knocking. The door was cracked open so he went right inside. Inside, Chopper, like he knew, was sitting on Neo's left side while Robin sat on her right side reading her a book while Nami, Topaz, and Ikkaku were spread around the foot of the bed. Everyone was silent but for Robin. He had no idea if her was even hearing what the black haired woman was saying.

Neo was hugging Law's pillow to her chest. She had her nose buried into the soft fabric, no doubt taking in Law's lingering scent that was on it. She glanced up and looked at Penguin before dropping her eyes back down.

Penguin sighed when he saw her eyes. They were dull, not yet grey, but they didn't have their shine that they typically did. And if things continued like they were, he knew her eyes would become grey again. He exchanged looks with the other pirates in the room. They were just as lost as he was in what to do or say to make their favorite blue haired girl feel better and smile again.

"Did you have to run so fast?" Shachi asked as he and Bepo finally entered into the room.

"What does that matter?" Penguin said. "You two know the way back to the sub. I don't have to hold your hands."

"Very funny," Shachi said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"I have paws," Bepo said.

Penguin rolled his eyes. Wondering over to the bed, he ditched his boots and crawled across the bed so he could sit on Neo's side. Once in place, she leaned her head over on his shoulder. He pressed a kiss into her hand before pressing his cheek against it. Nothing more was said as they all settled in to listen to Robin read.

They all lost track of time after that. Soon Neo's soft voice said, "I'm going to go help make lunch."

"All right, Neo," Topaz said. "If you feel like it."

They all got off the bed. Neo walked out of the room without another word to them. The rest of the pirates lingered behind for a few seconds before following after her.

"Her blood pressure is high," Chopper said softly. "I worried that she and her baby are going to get too stressed out." Tears swelled up in his eyes. "I don't know what to do."

"Try not to worry about it, Chopper," Nami said.

"I've alert all of the Elemental healers on this island on what's been going on," Topaz said. "They're ready to assist if something does happen."

"Get realistic," Ikkaku said. "What she needs is the captain to stop training so much and pay attention to her again. He knows she needs his attention."

"This definitely isn't like him at all," Robin said. "The Summoners have said that his behavior could be a result of the Summoner's Moon."

"You sound like you don't believe it," Penguin said.

Robin nodded. "Haven't you noticed that no one else is acting this strangely?"

"Now that you mention it," Ikkaku said. She placed her hands behind her head and kept walking. "I haven't notice anyone acting as extreme as the captain is. Not even the new Summoners that are running around this island."

"So, it's not the Summoner's Moon?" Chopper asked.

"I believe so," Robin said. "I just don't know what it could possibly be."

"If only we had more information on that shadow creature that people keep seeing," Nami said.

"I wonder if it is possible that it is that thing that is causing the captain to act like this," Topaz said.

"But how is it getting into people's minds?" Penguin wondered. "Most who see that thing have seen it before they die. The captain doesn't even have that strange illness."

"And you haven't found anything more on that." Ikkaku looked at Robin.

"Nothing," Robin replied. She turned into the rec. room to put up the book she had been reading then rejoined the others to head back outside.

"Man," Ikkaku cursed under her breath. "This flat out sucks."

"If only we had the captain to help us figure this out," Bepo said, making everyone feel even worse than they did.

…

Neo mindlessly wondered out of the sub. Turning her eyes up to the sky, she stared blankly at it and searched for Law despite knowing exactly where he was. Her wings appeared on her back. After a few flicks, she lifted herself off the deck and landed on the island. Wondering through the path, her body felt numb. She never liked physically being away from Law. But this, this was different. He was more that just physically away from her, he was also mentally away from her. She hated it. She resented the fact that this whole thing had happened. She resented Elek and Bao from appearing and bringing them here. But she had no choice. She was stuck here watching and waiting for her nightmare to come true. Or maybe it already had come true. In a way, Law had already been taken away from her. She had been replaced with his ridiculous training.

He was far to obsessed with getting better and said he wasn't tired or hurt. But he was. She could feel that his muscle were tired and worn from all the fighting he had been doing. She could feel the stings from the cuts he had been receiving from other Summoners. A large part of her wanted to use her pheromones on his to get him to stop training so much and relax for a while. She didn't do it. The mere thought of controlling him like that made her cringe. She didn't want to force him to spend time with her. She wanted him to spend time with her like he normally did, on his own will.

"Neo, you don't have to help us."

Neo looked up when Basil spoke. She didn't even realize that she had reached the grill. "I'm fine. I need the distraction."

"Well, all right," Basil said, reluctantly.

"Why don't you cut us up some vegetables?" Sanji said, pulling a chair over. While she sat down, he winked at the other cook.

Basil released a sigh of relief. Sanji knew exactly how he was feeling. Neither of them wanted her on her feet. They wanted her to rest as much as possible. Sitting down and cutting vegetables would help with that. Basil grabbed several vegetables and a knife. He placed them down in front of Neo.

It took several seconds for Neo to register the vegetables in front of her. Slowly, she picked up the knife then a potato. Her cuts were even slower. The knife bit down into the skin of the potato. She paused. Continuing on, she finally pushed the knife all the way through. She moved onto the next, then the next, and then the next until she got to the carrots. Tears spilled freely down her cheeks despite her expressionless expression. The carrot was a reminder of better times. Of the time when Law taught her how to properly cut a carrot. It was also one of the times her feelings shown through. His hands were so warm on hers. Now she could barely remember what his hands felt like.

Once she was done with the vegetables, she slumped back in the chair, letting the others finish lunch up. Finally it was time for everyone to come back for lunch. She looked around. Law hadn't arrived yet. She could feel he was still out at the training grounds. And despite the fact she knew he wouldn't come, she still called for him. _'Law, lunch is ready.'_

 _'I'm in the middle of training. I'll just grab something later.'_

Neo sighed. That's how it was anymore. Law wouldn't come back and eat with them, or her. He would just continue training until he was satisfied. He would then come back and find him something to eat before crashing in the bed. Despite not wanting to eat anything, she ate what she was giving. Mostly she just stirred her stew then took a small bite then repeated the process until it was all gone. She didn't even notice the concerned looks the crews were giving her. She didn't look up at all until she felt Luna's bat guardian coming closer. "Luna?"  
"Luna?" Mumbles passed through the crews. They looked up to see the white haired girl running up to them.

"I guess she came to see us," Bepo said.

"Or maybe not," Shachi said when he noticed the girl's face was red from crying.

Tears were still streaming down her face as she ran up to Neo and threw her arms around her neck. She cried. "Neo! Neo, you have to come! You have to help him!"

"Help him?" Neo asked, rubbing Luna's back to soothe her. "What happened? What's wrong?"

Luna pulled back. "Gran-Grandpa! He's in the hospital! He's sick! He's dying! You have to help him!"

"Okay, Luna," Neo said, stroking her hair. "Okay, let's go."

"I'm coming too!" Chopper said.

"So am I," Topaz said.

When no one else volunteered to come, out of respect, Neo summoned her wind crystals and flew them towards the town. She followed Luna's directions and arrived at the hospital within thirty seconds. Sitting them down on the ground, they all rushed inside, following Luna until they reached the room Sage was in. The familiar beeping of the heart monitor filled the room. It made Neo shiver with the memories of when she had to be hooked up to it. She pushed it aside. It's patches connected to the old man sleeping peacefully on the bed. A nurse and a doctor were also in the room. They were huddled together, speaking in a low voice until they noticed the pirates there.

"How is he, Doctor?" Topaz asked.

"I'm sorry," the doctor said. "It's only a matter of time. His heart is just too weak."

"No! Don't say that!" Luna snapped. "He's not going to die!"

"Luna," Neo whispered.

"She can use her solar crystal," Luna said, pointing at Neo. "She can make him better." She looked up pleadingly at Neo. "Can't you? Please, Neo."

"I'll try, but you must understand that my solar crystal isn't an all healing item. It doesn't work miracles," Neo said.

"I don't care! Just help him!" Luna said. She pulled Neo closer to Sage.

Neo exhaled. Examining Sage's peaceful expression, she could tell he wasn't going to be with them for much longer. Still, she summoned her solar crystal and engulfed Sage in it. Several silent moments passed between them all. During that time the doctor and nurse left the room to attend to other patients and Luna laid down beside her grandfather, eventually falling asleep quickly. Then Sage opened his eyes and looked at Neo. She smiled softly at him. She could see it. The light in his eyes was leaving quickly. She stepped closer and slipped her hand into his. The question in his eyes was clear to her. With a light nod, she said, "Don't worry about her. She'll be safe with us."

"Thank you," Sage whispered. Turning his head, he kissed Luna's forehead, waking the girl from her small nap.

"Grandpa!" Luna smiled. "You're okay!"

"Luna, be a good girl," Sage said.

"Grandpa?" Tears swelled up in Luna's eyes.

"You're strong," Sage said, his eyelids drifting closed. "I know you'll grow up to be a wonderful, strong, and smart woman."

"Grandpa," Luna said, pleading. "Don't go. You can't. I need you."

"You're going to be fine," Sage said. His eyes closed. The beeping slipped into one long beep. He was gone.

"Grandpa!" Luna cried. She flung herself onto him and cried.

Neo closed her eyes and turned her head away from them. Her solar crystal faded as Topaz and Chopper stepped closer to her and hugged her, both with tears in their eyes. Saying nothing, they left Luna where she was until she had cried herself to sleep.

"Where should we take her?" Chopper asked. "Back to her house or to the apartment?"

Topaz looked at Neo. "It might be best to take her home for a while."

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "We'll stay with her there. I don't want to leave her alone."

"Of course not," Topaz said. "We'll all keep an eye on her."

"What about…" Neo's voice trailed off.

"We've already alerted the coroner," the nurse said from the door. The pirates turned their eyes to her, none knowing when she had returned. She walked over to the still screeching machine and turned it off. "Someone will need to make the preparations for his funeral."

"I don't know how to do that," Neo said, looking at the sleeping girl. "And Luna is too young and emotional."

"I'll handle it," Topaz said.

"Topaz, are you sure?" Neo turned her eyes to her sister.

"I'm sure." Topaz nodded.

"I want him to have a nice funeral," Neo said.

"Don't worry about it," Topaz said. "I'll speak with the captain." She cringed when Neo flinched. "And I'll speak with the treasurer. I know we have enough money to give him a very nice funeral."

"Thank you, Topaz," Neo said, letting her eyes dropping back down to Luna. "You can go ahead and do that now. We'll take Luna home."

"All right," Topaz said. "Once that's done I'll meet you at her house."

Neo nodded.

"Are you going to fly her?" Chopper asked while Topaz left.

"Yeah, but I'd like you to carry her," Neo said. She reached out and stroked her hand over Luna's white hair causing the girl to shift in her sleep.

Chopper nodded and transformed into his human form. Carefully he picked her up and they left the room together.

Neo paused at the door. She watched, tears dripping over her eyelids, as the nurse pulled the covers up over Sage's face. She didn't understand how she could feel so sad about someone she's barely known for over a month. Still, in that time she had grown rather close to the old man and was sad that he was gone. He was such a kind old man. And she was going to do everything she could to keep Luna safe and happy. Turning around, she continued after Chopper who had paused to wait for her.

"You going to be okay?" Chopper asked.

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "I'm more worried about Luna."

"She'll be sad and angry for a while but in time she'll become happy again," Chopper said.

"I don't know if she's ever been happy," Neo said as they continued to walk towards the exit.

"She's been happy with her grandfather," Chopper said. "And she's been even happier since you've come along. I know she hasn't admitted it, but she looks up to you. I believe she actually cares about you a lot." He paused for a moment. "I know it might be a bit too soon to ask this, but…are you going to take Luna with us when we leave?"

"I won't leave her here," Neo said. "She's not happy here. And she won't like living here without her grandfather. She'll need time, but I want her to come with us when we leave."

"That's a good idea," Chopper said. They reached the main doors and stepped outside. Dark grey clouds were rolling in. Thunder rumbled in the distance. The winds picked up, teasing their hair and fur. "It's going to rain."

"It's a fine day for that," Neo said. "Maybe Law will put his training on hold for once."

"I hope so too," Chopper said. "Especially after what happened today."

"Let's go." Neo summoned a wind crystal. Pulling the existing wind around them, she flew them to Luna's home. They entered the dark, cool house. It seemed oddly lonely known that Sage wasn't ever going to come back to this place. She had no idea what to do with anything here. And she didn't know if Luna would want to even get rid of anything. One thing she knew for sure that Luna wouldn't get rid of her grandfather's books, the ones he wrote and the ones he didn't.

Neo looked around the girl's room. Franky had done an exceptional job on it. Despite it only being her and her grandfather living here, Franky had given Luna bunk beds. The top one had a slide on it. And judging going by the sheets and stuff animals that the crew had bestowed upon her when they learned what the shipwright had done, she slept in both the beds. There were even a few beautifully painted bats on the walls. Luna really loved bats. It made her wonder if that was because of Luna's animal guardian or if she just loved bats.

Chopper placed her in the bottom bunk and stepped away.

Neo sat down on the bed after pulling up the blanket up over the still sleeping girl. She stayed their for a while just watching her sleep. Soon her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten all that much since she wasn't really hungry. Now she was despite not wanting to eat. She knew she had to for their baby's sake.

"You should eat something," Chopper said, shifting back to his normal form.

"Do you think Luna will be hungry after she wakes up?" Neo asked.

"It's possible," Chopper said. "But she might be too upset to eat for a while. You shouldn't push her when she does wake up."

"I'll still make her something," Neo said, nodding. "A cold pasta salad sounds nice."

"It does," Chopper said. "I'll stay with her for now."

"Okay." Neo stood up from the bed and headed for the door. Walking into the living room a shiver ran up her spine. Her eyes paused on the couch where Sage always sat when he was here. It looks so empty now. Turning to her right, she headed on into the kitchen. Flipping on the light, she started pulling out the items she would need for her pasta. Soon the kitchen was filled with the smells of ranch dressing, cheese, milk, and fresh chopped vegetables. She wasn't enjoying cooking like she normally did. Her moves were robotic, stiff. It was like she was moving on instincts only. While stirring the pasta, she searched for Law. He was still at the training ground despite the rain that was beating down on the roof now. It was clear then that he was going to keep training through the gloomy weather. She hadn't heard it thunder in a while so she knew it he wasn't going to stop. A sigh filled the room. Maybe she should use her pheromones on him anyway. The shared tiredness in their bodies was really starting to wear her down. She wanted him to take a day off.

She tasted the pasta. It was nice and soft. Pulling it off the fire, she added in the rest of her ingredients, not bothering to taste how it was since her taste buds were just as numb as she was, and sat it on the table. At that time Chopper walked into the room with Luna trudging along behind her. He said, "She woke up."

"I see." Neo pulled the dishes out of the cabinets and used her winds to set them down on the table for them. She then pulled some orange juice out of the fridge and joined them at the table.

Luna picked up her fork and mindlessly poked the noodles after Neo finished putting it on the plate for her.

Neo glanced up at Chopper. The reindeer was at a lost just as much as she was for words in comforting their friend. Chopper had only lost one person that he was really close to and knew very well. Neo didn't have anyone like that. She didn't know her parents. And the only death she had witnessed up close was Ortiz's back on Luminous. While she was sad at his death, she didn't know him like Luna knew Sage. So they both stayed quiet, letting their presence do the talking.

Once Luna had finished about half of her lunch, she wondered into the living room and laid down on the couch. Wrapping her grandfather's blanket around her body, she cried herself to sleep once again. Chopper and Neo joined her once the dishes were washed and placed back were they belonged. Going into the living room, Neo paused and looked at the bookshelves. She plucked one of Sage's books off then sat down at the foot of the couch to be near Luna while Chopper sat down on the loveseat. No more words were spoken between them. They just sat and listened to the rain beating down on the roof as Neo's eyes stared blankly at the name of the book: A Boy's Navy Journey. It was one of the books Sage wrote about being in the Navy. Some of its contents were made up to liven it up a bit but a lot of it was true events. She had read it twice already. Something about it drew her attention when she realized the main character reminded her of Fujitora. Both were loyal and cared for their soldiers that were underneath them. They also had the similarities of making friends with some pirates. For a moment she thought that Fujitora was inspiration for the main character. But she had no idea if he was or not. Or if Sage even knew about Fujitora. She never thought to ask Sage about it. And now it was too late.

Neo sensed Topaz coming closer. The door open and closed. It was followed by footsteps then Topaz appeared in the door. The woman was dry so Neo figured she got an umbrella from somewhere and left it near the door. Topaz said, "It's settled. The ceremony will be in two days."

"Thank you," Neo said.

"How's she doing?" Topaz asked.

"She'll be fine," Chopper said, glancing at the sleeping girl.

"She hadn't said anything yet," Neo added.

"That's to be expected," Topaz said. She crossed her arms and ankles, leaning against the doorframe of the living room. "Most likely she's going to be a bit moody over the next couple of days. It would be best to let her speak when she's ready."

"Okay." Neo nodded.

A pause fell upon the room before Topaz said, "I went to the captain."

Neo tensed.

"He said it was fine for us paying for the funeral services and all," Topaz reported. She paused again. "And he's going to continue his training."

Neo leaned her head back against the couch and sighed. She already knew that. So she wasn't surprised when Topaz confirmed it. Closing her eyes, she let herself drift off to sleep. She wasn't sure how much time had passed before her brain started registering voices around her. Cracking her eyes open, she managed to make out a few of them as her own crew and some of the Straw Hats.

"She's awake," Luffy said.

Neo lifted her head off the couch. Her neck was stiff but with a little roll of her head she managed to work it out.

"How are you feeling, Neo?" Penguin asked.

"A bit stiff, but fine," Neo said, noticing Luna wasn't beside her anymore. "Who's all here? And where's Luna?"

"Me, Shachi, and Bepo are the only Hearts here," Penguin said. "Luffy, Chopper, and Robin are the only Straw Hats. Luna's in her room crying again with Shachi, Bepo, and Robin trying to cheer her up."

Neo ran her hands over her face.

"You okay?" Penguin said, sitting down beside her.

"Yeah," Neo murmured. "I just wish this didn't happen."

"I know," Penguin said. "But it can't be stopped." He paused. "What now?"

"Eventually I'm going to take her back to the apartments with us," Neo said. "And then I'm going to have a talk with her about going with us when we leave, that is, after I talk to Law about it." She scowled. "If he ever stops training long enough to talk to me."

"He will." Penguin pat her knee.

"Of course he will," Luffy said. "He'll come here soon. Even if I have to drag him here."

"You might have to do that," Neo said. "I can't believe he's doing this."

"You and the rest of us," Penguin said.

"Tra has been acting oddly," Luffy said, crossing his arms. "Maybe he's sick."

"I wish it was just that," Neo said. "Anyway, what about the funeral? How many, if any, do you think will come?"  
"I'm sure a few people will come," Penguin said.

"Sage was a nice guy," Luffy said. "He probably has lots of friends."

"Most of his friends will be retired from the Navy," Robin said as she entered into the room. "There's no possible way to ask them to come. It would take too long."

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "But it's fine. I know Sage would understand that they couldn't make it. That is, if they're still alive themselves. We'll have a nice little ceremony ourselves."

…

Dropping to the ground, Law's chest heaved up and down. His body was covered with both sweat and rain. Tilting his head back, he allowed the warm ran to wash down him. Close by he could hear the pants of the Summoners that he had been sparing with but didn't pay them any more attention. They were just some Summoners that Art and Lavi had brought to help train him. There was no need to get friendly with them.

Pushing himself back to his feet. He grabbed his shirt and sword off the ground where he had left them. Someone had brought an umbrella and had it placed over his shirt and hat to keep them dry. He folded it up and headed towards the apartment. Once he was almost there, he both remembered and sensed that Neo was still at Luna's. He would be going there next. First he needed to get showered and in to some dry clothes. Rushing up to their apartment, he quickly entered into it. Through his typical speed, he washed up, dressed, and headed back outside with the umbrella open this time.

Glancing up at one of the towers in the town, he noticed it was well after seven in the evening. He had missed not only lunch but also dinner as well. A small twinge of guilt passed through him. Neo wasn't going to be happy with him at all for that. Honestly, he didn't even noticed that time had passed so quickly. He just wanted to train more and more. Which he thought was odd for him, but he shoved it away. Training was good. The quicker he mastered this power the quicker they could get back to the sea and continue climbing up the ladder of pirate fame.

Following the directions Topaz had given him, he made his way through the almost deserted town. Only a few people were running around in their attempts to get back to work or get home. Their shoes splashed in the puddles, mixing with the sound of the rain beating down on the rooftops. Before long he found himself in the quiet neighborhood where the simple little house was located. Walking up the well groomed path, thanks to Neo, he entered into the building, shaking off the water from the umbrella before closing the door. He was met by some frowns from his crewmembers that had apparently wondered over here at some point to see how Neo and Luna were doing. He brushed them off and entered into the living room.

He found Neo asleep on the love seat, curled up into herself, a blanket, and his hoodie she was wearing. Kneeling down, he watched her sleep for a while. His guilt came back before quickly dissolving away. His eyebrows kneaded in confusion. Never has his emotions come and gone so quickly. It's like he didn't know how to feel anymore.

"Oh," Neo's soft voice said. "You're finally here."

"Yeah," Law said, relaxing his eyebrows.

"I'll get you something to eat," Neo said, feeling his hunger. She pushed off the blanket and headed for the kitchen with Law followed. While he sat down at the table, placing his hat down on it, she wondered about the kitchen. She piled on left over from lunch and dinner then sat it down in front of him before getting him a cup of sweet tea and sitting down herself. Neither said anything while Law started eating. Sensing her crewmates looking at her, she sent them a look that told them to give them some time to talk alone. They nodded and disappeared from her sight. She heard the back door open and close, signaling they went outside to sit on the porch until she was done talking to Law. She then said, "Law, we need to talk about Luna."

"Oh?" Law kept eating.

"Once she's ready, I'm taking her back with us to the apartments," Neo said.

"I figured that," Law replied.

A moment of silence passed before she said, "And when we leave we're going to take her with us."

Law paused and looked up at her, seemingly to be surprised at her announcement. "I see. You know that's not a very good idea. We're pirates."

"So I've noticed," Neo said. "There's no reason not to take her."

"This is her home."

"This was her home." Neo paused then sighed. "Law, she has no one else here. Everyone outside of her grandfather and us treats her like a freak. I won't abandon her to that. I promised her grandfather I'd take care of her. And I'm going to."

Law leaned back in his chair.

"I know it's dangerous for her to come with us." Neo placed her hand on her stomach, cradling their child. "But it's dangerous for our baby too. Luna still has her Summoner powers."

"That she doesn't use," Law reminded her.

"Once she's away from this place, she might change that," Neo said. "Even if she doesn't, she can still be trained to fight. A lot of our crewmembers are normal humans." She locked eyes with him. "She's going."

Law mentally chewed on her words before saying, "It's her decision whether she wants to go or stay."

"I know." Neo nodded. "I was going to talk to her about it once she was feeling better."

"All right then," Law said, going back to his meal. "As long as you understand it's her choice."

"I do," Neo whispered. She watched Law eat, battling against herself on whether or not to actually use her pheromones on him right now. Deciding against it, she said, "Law?"

"Hm?"  
"I want you to take a break from training," Neo said.

"What for?"

"You're tired."

"I'm fine."

"I miss you."

Law looked up at her. "Neo, you know I need to train."

"Not this much," Neo said. "You're training all the time. I hardly ever see you anymore. You're constantly missing meals. And you're wearing your body down."

"My body is just fine," Law said. "You're worrying too much. You know that's not good for you or our baby."

"I'm worrying the right amount," Neo said. But Law didn't hear her.

…

Neo laid on the love seat. She was staring up at the dark ceiling while listening to Law and the crew's light snoring that filled the otherwise silent room. She brought her eyes down from the ceiling when she felt Luna moving around then the back door open and close. Pushing the blanket away from her, she stood up. Pausing only to pull the cover back over Law, who was stretched out on the couch. The rest of the crew, plus Luffy, Robin, and Chopper were sleeping on the floor. None of them slept in Luna or Sage's room out of respect. Carefully stepping around them, she made her way down the hall to the back door. She found Luna sitting on the porch swing. "Hey…can I sit with you?"

Luna nodded in the moonlight.

Neo sat down beside her. Lightly rocking the swing with her toes, she stared out into the moonlit sky, shimmering with stars. "Can we talk for a moment? There's something I want to discuss with you."

"Sure," Luna mumbled.

"When you're ready, I was thinking you could come stay with us at the apartment," Neo said. When Luna didn't rely she looked down at the girl. To her surprise, Luna was staring up at her with the mixed emotions of sadness, surprise, acceptance, confusion, and a touch of wonder. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to stay here alone."

"Grandpa lived here," Luna said, dropping her eyes back down to the ground.

"I know," Neo said. "I once stayed in my parents house back on Luminous. And despite not knowing them, I didn't want to leave it. But I know I had to. It wasn't my home."

"Okay," Luna said, surprising Neo once again. The pirate expected the girl to argue at least a little bit. "Then what?"

"Well, if you wanted," Neo said, "you could continue to live with us after we leave Zion."

Luna's eyes shot back to Neo's.

"I know it'll be a big change," Neo said. "And there's the whole thing about being a pirate."

"You want me to become a pirate?" Luna asked.

"Well, you don't have to become a pirate," Neo said. "I wasn't technically one for about a year after I came to live with the Heart Pirates. Though since you'll be seen with us you'll be labeled a pirate. But we can curve that for a while."

"I don't know," Luna said.

"I know this is a lot to take in right now," Neo said. "I just wanted you to know that I won't leave you alone. We're all here for you."

Luna slowly dropped her eyes from Neo's. Silences fell between them for a few minutes before the girl leaned against Neo's arm.

Neo looked down to find Luna had fallen asleep.

…

Two days later, the Heart Pirates, the Straw Hat pirates, and several others from Zion came to Sage's funeral. It was a graveside style funeral. The rain had stopped but the clouds remained a dull grey. Luna had been like a zombie through the whole thing. Which Neo thought was best. Not many outside of their crews paid her much attention to her. They only came to pay their last respects to Sage. Neo wished they had just stayed away. She figured they were people he worked with before when writing since she recalled a few faces were familiar from the library.

She looked down at Luna when the little girl's hand curled around her hand. Luna looked beyond exhausted to her. The girl's eyes were red from all the crying she had been doing. Currently, she wasn't shedding any tears. Neo wasn't surprised. Luna had been pretty much been crying nonstop since her grandfather died. The girl probably didn't have any tears left to cry.

One by one people started leaving.

"Take me to your apartment," Luna whispered. "I don't want to go back to…"

"Okay, Luna," Neo said, giving her hand a light squeeze. "We can go whenever you're ready."

A few minutes later, Luna gave the single she was ready. "Let's go."

Still holding her hand, Neo started to guide her away from the graveyard with the crews following. The graveyard was rather small, placed in an area that looked over the sea to the east. Despite what this place was for, it was still a nice area. It felt like the people laid here to rest could look out at the sea and the sunrise. Though it was not really possible, it still was a nice thought.

"I'm going to head back training now," Law said. He kissed Neo's temple before taking off.

"Seriously, Captain?" Penguin hissed. "You're seriously going to-"

Neo lifted her hand to silence him while Law, who didn't hear him, continued to walk away. She said, "It's fine, Penguin. For now. I'm going to have a talk with him later about this."

"All right," Penguin said, reluctantly.

Neo was grateful that he let it go, despite still feeling his scowl. For the moment, Luna needed her more than she need to have a fight with Law. They only walked for about two minutes before Neo lifted them into the air with her winds. It took only a matter of seconds before they landed at the apartments ground.

"What a day," Nami said, plopping down in a chair.

"I feel like I've done a triathlon," Shachi said, sitting down himself. The crew mumbled in agreement as they scattered around their grilling area. "Which is odd since I haven't really done anything.

Neo sat down with Luna, letting the girl lean against her side.

"I know it's been over a month since we've been here, but it feels like it's been a life time," Brook said. "I feel like all my muscles have turned liquid. But then I don't have any muscles."

"Losing someone can do that to you," Usopp said.

"Shut up!" Nami kicked Usopp in the shin.

"Ouch! What was that for?!" Usopp demanded, holding his leg.

Nami jerked her head towards Luna.

"Oh, sorry," Usopp said despite the fact Luna didn't hear what he had said.

"Should someone go keep an eye on the captain?" Jean Bart inquired.

Neo sighed when she felt all their eyes on her. "I don't know."

"We'll go watch him for a while," a crewmate offered before he and several others wondered off for the training grounds.

"So where's Luna going to stay?" Luffy asked.

"I'm not really sure yet," Neo said, taking in the now sleeping girl. "Most likely she'll stay with me and Law. But there's going to be times she needs to stay with someone else."

"She can stay with us," Ikkaku said.

"Yeah," Topaz added. "It would be best for her to stay with us women if she's not with you and the captain."

"I can also keep an eye on her when you and Law need to be alone," Chopper said.

"You can count me in too," Bepo said.

Neo nodded. Since Luna was a girl it was before for her to be with women or animals, even though she knew the males of their crews wouldn't do anything to Luna.

"We'll all keep an eye on her," Sanji said, breathing out smoke. "But I agree with Topaz. It's best for Luna to sleep with the women."

"It's settled then," Neo said. "Topaz?"

"Yes?" Topaz asked.

"If you and Ikkaku don't mind, I'd like you to go back to Luna's and pick up her clothes and some toys," Neo said.

"You got it," Ikkaku said.

"Of course." Topaz nodded.

"We'll help as well," Nami said with Robin nodding.

"I'll help too," Luffy said.

"I might as well help," Sanji said.

"Okay, anyone who wants to help can do so," Neo said. "I'm going to stay here with Luna though. Only bring a few things though. I don't want Luna to feel like I'm trying to push her into coming with us when we leave."

…

The next day Neo had finally decided to confront Law about his training. She had planned on doing it shortly after breakfast, but he had taken off quickly before she could talk to him. So she had no choice but to wait for him to come back for lunch and hope he came back for lunch. Luckily, he did. She made sure to give off an aggravated aura so Law would know she was upset. If he felt it, he didn't show any signs of it. It only made her more aggravated.

"I'm done," Law announced.

"Hold it," Neo said before he could escape on her again. She stood up and headed for their apartment. "We need to talk."

"Love, I got to get to training," Law said.

"Now!" Neo glared at him. Giving him no room to argue she summoned her earth and wind crystals for an extra impression of ' _I mean it or I'll drag you up there_ '. Everyone remained silent, wondering if Law was going to obey her or walk off.

Law heeded to her and followed her. The crews relaxed.

Closing the door behind him, he turned to her. "What did you want to talk about?"  
"Law, I want you to take a day off," Neo said.

"I can't do that," Law said.

"Yes," Neo said tensely. "You can."

"Neo, we've been over this," Law said. "I need to train to get-"

"Enough, Law!" Neo snapped. "I'm tired of hearing that excuse! Needing to master this doesn't come before your heath! It doesn't come before _our_ health! I'm stressed out, Law! I hardly ever see you!"

"You see me all the time," Law said.

"No, I don't!" Neo said. "I see passing glimpses of you eating then heading off to training!"

"Neo-"

"Take a break, Law!" Neo snapped. " _Now!_ "

"I won't," Law said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm going to training now." He turned and reached for the door.

"Law! Stay!"

"I'm not a dog, Neo," Law said, he grabbed the door handle.

"Don't you dare take one step out that door," Neo said. "I won't permit it."

"You won't stop me," Law said, opening the door.

"You've changed," Neo said, warm tears streaking down her cheeks. "I hate what you have become."

"What I've become?" Law asked, turning back to her. "I'm becoming a better fighter. I'm becoming stronger so I can protect you and our child. Why don't you want that?"

"Law, you're not doing this for us," Neo said. "Haven't you noticed at all?"

"Noticed what?"  
"You're not yourself," Neo said. "You've changed. I need you and you're not there for me."

"I don't have to be beside you ever second of every day," Law said.

"I know that," Neo said. "But there have been times when I needed you beside me and you didn't come to me."

"That's not a crime, Neo," Law said, getting annoyed.

"Law! Luna's grandfather _died_! I had no idea how to handle that or her! I needed you and you didn't come!"

"You didn't even know him."

"How could you say that?" Neo took a step back feeling like his words punched her. "We might not have known him for very long, but we still knew him."

"Let it go, Neo," Law said, opening the door more. "This conversation is done. And I'm leaving."

Anger flared up in her chest. She wanted to scream at him. But her words caught in her throat. Her bangs fell over his eyes as she listened to his footsteps and the door closing. Clenching her fists, she released a scream that she had been holding in for far too long. She screamed again, again, and then again. Once she was all screamed out, she pulled herself together and went back outside. Luffy was the first to greet her. She looked up at him. His eyes full of understanding as he wrapped his arms around her. Her arms automatically went around his waist. She cried again. "Luffy…"

"It'll be okay," Luffy said. "I promise. It'll be okay."

Neo nodded. She didn't really believe it, but she still had to hold on to it. Law would come back to her at some point. He had to. He would. She just didn't know when that would happen or what would happen before he came back.

"How about we go into town and get your mind off things?" Luffy asked.

"I don't know," Neo said.

"It would do you some good," Penguin said.

"We'll go with you," Shachi said.

"Would you like to go into town, Luna?" Neo asked.

"I guess so," Luna replied.

"All right," Neo said. Now with Luna, Shachi, Penguin, Luffy, and Chopper at her side, they headed into the town to find things to distract themselves with. They spent about an hour walking around the town before settling down to watch a street performers acrobatic act. There were a couple Elementals in the group who were using their earth and wind crystals to throw in more elaborate tricks that couldn't have been done by human means alone.

"This is so cool!" Luffy cheered.

"They're amazing," Chopper said.

"Aren't you having fun, Luna?" Luffy asked.

"I've seen them before," Luna said, resting her chin on her crossed arms. "So this isn't new to me."

"That makes sense." Shachi put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair.

"You have been living here your whole life," Penguin added. "It's only normal for you to have seen this at some point."

Neo sighed. With her elbows on the table, she rested her chin in her hands. This acrobatic thing was reminding her when Law started training her. She had also used her crystals to help train the crew. Those days seemed like a lifetime ago. Perhaps, in a way, it was. So much had changed since then. She was no longer that scared little girl. She was a wanted pirate, married, and pregnant. It was a lifetime ago. "Let's get out of here."

"All ready?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah." Neo stood up. "I'm tired of just sitting here."

The group got up and continued their way around town.

Neo looked around in desperation for a distraction to get her mind off of Law. But everywhere she looked was another reminder of Law. A couple dancing reminded her of their first dance. A woman wearing a white dress, though not a wedding dress, reminded her of their wedding. Some passing Elementals reminded her of all the things they had to deal with on Luminous. A happy couple pushing their baby in a stroller reminded her of their own child that was coming closer to being born with each passing day. Tears pressed to the back of her eyes. She knew it didn't matter where they went, anything and everything was going to remind her of Law. Soon her tears were replaced with anger. Dark clouds rolled in, thunder rumbled, and the wind picked up.

"Uh oh," Penguin said, sensing their sister's anger easily.

"Neo, calm down," Shachi said.

"I can't!" Neo said through gritted teeth. "I'm too furious! How could he do this?!"

"You know the captain isn't himself right now," Penguin said.

"I know, I know," Neo said. She closed her eyes and forced her storm away but it didn't work. It rolled back in, showing her built up frustration that needed to be released.

Luffy laughed when the wind blew him back a few inches.

"Neo, you really need to calm down," Chopper said. "I know your blood pressure is really high right now."

"I know," Neo said. She started pacing. She could feel her heart beating inside of her chest. It was starting to scare her. No matter what she tried nothing would calm her nerves. "I know. I just can't calm down."

"Neo, what's happening?!" Luna asked, clearly starting to panic herself.

"I don't know," Neo said. "I just can't calm down. Something's wrong." Her face twisted in pain. Her hands shot to her stomach when a sharp pain stabbed into her. She cried out and dropped to her knees. Her solar crystal appeared, washing its glow over her body. "Ah!"

"Neo!" The pirates dropped own beside her.

"N-Neo," Luna stuttered. "What's happening?!"

"Her blood pressure is too high," Chopper said.

"What do we do?" Penguin asked, holding Neo to his chest.

"We have to get her to the healer!" Chopper said.

"Straw Hat, get Luna." Penguin picked up Neo in his arms. "Shachi, run ahead and warn the healer that we're coming!"

"Right!" Shachi bolted away from them while Luffy picked up Luna in his arms.

"Which way is the hospital?!" Luffy looked around in a panic, the girl clutching to him and crying. "Shouldn't someone go get Tra?!"

"The captain will come when he feels Neo's pain," Penguin said.

"Hurry! The hospital is this way!" Chopper said, running down the sidewalk.

Their shoes thundered against the sidewalk as they ran. Everything and everyone swished by in a blur. Only their instincts guided them to the hospital where Healer Chase and Shachi were waiting for them.

"Put her here," Healer Chase ordered, gesturing to the bed they had ready for her. The two nurses that were with them began to wheel her away.

"P-Penguin!" Neo tightened her hold on his hand.

"It's okay, Neo," Penguin said. "The captain will be here soon. You're in the healer's hands now."

Neo nodded through her pain. Reluctantly, she released his hand and allowed them to take her away.

"I'll let you know as soon as I know," Healer Chase said before rushing off.

"There, there," Luffy said, patting Luna's back. "It's all right."

Luna shook her head. "She's…she's going to die."

"She's not going to die," Shachi said calmly. "She only got too upset. Her blood pressure is up, that's all."

"Yeah." Penguin nodded. "Neo will be fine. You'll see."

Luna clearly didn't believe them. She just gave them another shake of her head and held on tighter to Luffy.

Blinking in confusion, and not knowing what to do with the girl in his arms, Luffy just continued to hold her. He said, "Listen, I know Neo. She's going to be fine. You saw that crystal that appeared didn't you?

Luna nodded.

"That's her solar crystal," Luffy continued. "It's going to heal her."

Luna pulled back from Luffy. She looked at him in the eyes. "You promise?"

Luffy placed her down on her feet. He took off his hat and placed it on her head, covering her eyes. When she pushed the hat back up, he smiled brightly at her. "I promise. Neo and the baby are going to be just fine."

Luna bit her lip. More tears streaked down her face. She nodded firmly. "Okay."

…

Law, like he had been for the past few weeks, was in the middle of trading punches with two Summoners when he felt Neo's pain shoot through his stomach. Coming back to the fight, he dodged a punch to the face before jumping away from his opponents. He placed his hand on his stomach.

"What's going on?" Art asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Neo's hurt," Law said before bolting for the town, leaving Art with unanswered questions. He formed his Room and warped multiple times until he reached the hospital he knew she was in. He didn't even give the pirates a passing glance as he rushed through the halls and into the room she was in. He paid no attention to the healer as his eyes locked onto his love.

Neo opened her drowsy eyes and looked at him. "Law."

Law rushed over to her, pulling her into a hug when she sat up.

"All right, take it easy," Healer Chase said after giving them a minute to embrace each other. "They're out of danger but the princess needs to rest."

Law nodded and guided Neo back down to the bed. "What happened?"  
"I got too angry _at you_ ," Neo said, trying her hardest not to let herself get upset again.

Law twitched with guilt. He knew this was his fault. He put his training over the health of Neo and their baby.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone," Healer Chase said as he walked out the door. "I'll inform your friends that you're all right."

"I guess I know now how to get your attention," Neo said with a light frown.

"I'm sorry," Law said. He rubbed his hand over his face. "I don't know what's gotten into me."

"I know," Neo said. "And I don't really blame you. I know something's going on and it's only a matter of time before, whatever it is, reveals itself."

"What do you want me to do?" Law asked.

"Take tomorrow off," Neo said, curling her fingers around his shirt. "Spend the day with me and our baby."

"All right," Law said without hesitation. "And I'm staying with you for the rest today too."

"Good." Neo grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down into a kiss. She wanted control over him. She started to slip her tongue into his mouth, but stopped when he gave her a warning growl to rest. Sighing, she relaxed against her pillow and allowed him to massage her mouth with his tongue for a few minutes.

"Oops. I guess we didn't want long enough," Shachi's voice said, causing the two captains to pull away from each other.

"You see, Luna?" Luffy said. "I told you she would be fine."

Luna, still with Luffy's hat on, nodded. She brushed her tears away with the back of her arm. "I'm glad."

"Luna," Neo called softly. "Come here."

Luna rushed forward but paused at the bedside.

"I'm sorry." Neo placed her hand on Luna's hair. She could easily see how scared Luna was. "I scared you."

Luna nodded, fresh tears coming to her eyes.

"It won't happen again," Neo said. "I promise."

"We all were worried about you," Chopper said, jumping up on the foot of the bed. His eyes wondered over to the crystal monitor that was monitoring both Neo and the baby's blood pressure. They were still a bit high but gradually going back to normal.

"Yeah, sorry," Neo said. "I'm glad you all kept your cool and took care of us."

"Yeah." Luffy ruffled Neo's bangs. "Don't do that again."

"Sorry," Neo said. "I won't. Or I'll try not to."

"So how long do you have to stay here?" Penguin asked.

"For a few hours," Neo said. "Healer Chase said as long as I can keep my blood pressure down he'll let me go."

"I'm so glad," Luna said.

"He wants to check on the baby before he releases me," Neo said.

"And you're going to take a nap until that happens," Law said.

"Okay," Neo said. "I could use one."

"Do we have to leave?" Luna asked, her eyes filled with worry.

"No, you can stay," Neo said, stroking her hair again.

"As long as you all are quiet," Law said, sending a sharp glance at Luffy.

"What?" Luffy cocked his head to the side.

"Just keep it down," Law said. "Neo, sleep now."

"Okay," Neo said, relaxing against her pillow. Sense Luna was still upset, she tugged the girl close. "Come up here."

Without protest, Luna climbed on the bed and laid down beside Neo. "I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"No, you're not," Neo said. She watched as Luna's eyes drifted close.

"She was really worried about you," Penguin said.

"I didn't mean to scare her like that shortly after losing her grandfather," Neo said.

"Don't worry about that right now," Law said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I told you to sleep."

"Yes, _Captain_." Neo closed her eyes and exhaled, letting the events of the day and the fact that Law was here, lull her to sleep.

…

"So that's what a baby looks like inside of a woman," Luna said, her eyes transfixed on the screen showing the child growing inside of Neo.

"It is," Neo said. Her hand was snuggly placed in Law's. He had did was he said. He stayed with her for the rest of the day. The time for Healer Chase to come and check on them had come. If everything checked out, she was going to be released from the hospital. "At least at this point in time."

"It's so tiny," Luna said.

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "Our baby is still growing after all."

"I've never seen a baby like this before," Luna said. "It's incredible."

Healer Chase chuckled. "Well, usually when I see and hear someone with that much enthusiasm for babies they become a doctor to help them."

"A doctor to help babies?" Luna pulled her eyes from the screen and looked at the man.

"Maybe that's something you'll be interested in?" Neo said.

Luna hummed in thought. "Maybe."

"Well, you have plenty of time to decide on that," Healer Chase said before turning back to the screen. "Everything looks back to normal. You're free to go as long as you don't let this happen again." He narrowed his eyebrows at his princess. "Understand?"

"I do." Neo nodded.

Healer Chase nodded back then proceeded to remove the crystals from her stomach. "Then have a good day."

"You too," Neo said. She rolled her shirt back down and sat up. With Law's hand on hers, he helped her slid off the exam table. The group of three headed out of the exam room.

"Would it be all right if I see the baby again when you look at it like that?" Luna asked.

"I don't see why not," Neo said.

"Yes!" Luna jumped.

"I think the healer might be right about her," Law said.

"Maybe we'll see one day," Neo said, smiling.

…

 **Mooshroom71: We'll know soon.**


	19. Needed Bonding

Needed Bonding

It was still rather early when Neo and Law decided to break away from the rest of their crews for the day. Luffy was being his typical silly self, dancing around with Chopper and Usopp, so they took their opening to break off from them without the loud mouth captain stopping them or asking them where they were going. As they started up the ramp to their apartment room, Neo looked over at Luna. The young girl was nestled near the fire, wrapped up in a blanket while Robin and Sanji sat near her. A small amount of guilt washed over her. She really didn't feel like leaving Luna so quickly after the death of her grandfather. But with a little convincing from Robin, Topaz, and Sanji, she gave in and decided to let them watch the young girl for the night. Luna was going to sleep with the girls tonight so she and Law could spend a little quality and much needed intimate time together.

The jolly sounds of the crew faded away the farther they went up.

Once they entered into the quiet room, neither of them bothered to turn the light on. They wouldn't be needing it for what they were going to be doing. Law pulled her close to his body by her hand while placing his sword up against the wall. His warm hands collapsed on her hips. His lips covered hers in a sweet, longing kiss much needed kiss while he kneaded his fingers into her body. She kissed back immediately, their tongues dancing together in a practice dance. He wanted control. He wanted to dominate her. He needed to dominate her.

Neo could feel his desire to dominate over her. He often did. That was just who he was. But tonight, she felt like dominating him for a change. She pulled away just slightly. Her warm breath fanned over his lips as she spoke softly to him. "Sorry, my love. Tonight, _I_ get to be the one in control."

"Oh really?" Law chuckled. He slowly licked her lips. "And what makes you think I'll let _you_ dominate _me_?"

"You," Neo said, trailing her hand up his shirt and over his hard muscles, "won't have any choice." She smiled when his eyes glazed over from the pheromones she released from her body. She pecked his lips. "You're such a good boy."

Neo summoned her wind crystals while she swirled her tongue around his. Lifting them into the air, her hands reached for the buckle on his jeans. She easily removed it, and then teasingly unzipped his zipper before letting his jeans and his boxers drop to the floor before moving them closer to the bed. Next to go was his shirt. She drug her hands up his toned stomach again before tugging the annoying fabric off him. She pressed her lips to his chest, trailing kisses all over his skin and tattoos. A hum left her lips when his hands started working over her own body removing her clothes. Spinning them around, she laid him down on the bed and lowered herself to him.

Law moaned at the warmth of their connected bodies. He laid there while she did as she pleased to him, rocking against him, grinding against him until she could feel his dominate personality working against her pheromones. She wouldn't be able to hold him for much longer. So she decided to release him. She wanted their positions switched anyway. The second he was free he carefully rolled her over onto her back. Trailing kisses over every inch of her skin, lingering on her stomach where their baby was laying, until he made his way to her ear. He whispered huskily, "You're such a naught girl. Turning your pheromones on me like that."

"Oh? You weren't complaining through your moans a few minutes ago," Neo said.

Law chuckled. "Only because it was that good. But you're still going to receive punishment for doing that." He slowly pulled out in that teasing way he always used to make her writhe beneath him.

"Law!" Neo gasped. Her fingers and toes curled at the sensation he shot through every fiber of her body.

Law smiled and thrust into her, hitting her spot and sending stars flashing through her eyes.

"Law!" Neo wrapped her arms and legs around him, pulling his body as close to her as she possible could.

"What?" Law asked.

"D-do it…again," Neo begged.

"As you wish," Law said, obeying her command. Time and time again he caused her to wiggle underneath him. Time and time again he caused her to call out his name. It spurred him on to move faster. Her punishment was over. Now it was just about each other. It was about them being together, wrapped up in skin, their breathing, and beating hearts. No one else existed in this moment. He nestled into her, nosing against her ear. "How long as it been?"

"Three weeks," Neo said.

"Way to long." Law sighed. He pulled back a bit, his eyes glisten with regret for pushing her away like he did. "I'm so sorry, love."

"It's all right," Neo said. "It wasn't _completely_ your fault."

"I believe it was," Law said. "It took you and our baby being in danger to snap me out of whatever I was in."

"Law, don't," Neo said. "It's over. You're back in control now. And you're here with me. We're going to spend the entire day together tomorrow. And it'll be even better then. You know it will be."

"Until your nightmare comes true," Law said instantly regretting it when pain flashed through his love's eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up right now."

"Just love me," Neo said. "That's all I need. I just need _you_ right now."

"And you've got me." Law pressed his lips back onto hers. Their bodies moved in sync until they were completely worn out. He pulled from her. Tugging the blanket out from under her, he curled up with her, both falling asleep to the warmth and heartbeat of the other.

A little while later, Law woke up due to the call of nature. After taking care of business, he headed back out to the room and got ready to crawl into bed. He paused when he felt someone outside of their apartment. Pulling on his jeans, he wondered out the door just in time to see Luna's white hair disappearing down the stairs. Instead of calling out for her, he followed her. When he reached the bottom, he saw her running towards the forest. He wondered why she was out here so late. What could she possibly be doing out here like this? Where would she go? What would she do? He shook his head and headed back towards their room. He didn't think it mattered. She was probably just going to see her grandfather's grave or something. He headed back upstairs, closed the door behind him, ditched his jeans, and crawled back into bed. Pulling Neo into his arms, he allowed his eyes to close and he fell back asleep easily.

…

Three loud, annoying bangs on the door was what pulled Law out of his peaceful slumber. He opened his eyes just as three more annoying bangs came. That time, Neo whimpered at the invasive noise and snuggled into Law's side in a sleepy attempt to get away from it. He didn't want to move away from her. But he knew if he didn't get up and answer the door the person would only keep banging on it. He moved but paused when Neo whimpered again and tired to snuggled back into his warmth. Leaning down to her, he whispered, "Shh…it's all right, love. Just relax. I have to answer the door then I'll be right back."

Neo relaxed and sighed in her sleep.

Once she was settled and the blanket was securely covering her naked body, he left the bed. More bangs came on the door. It really annoyed him that someone was disturbing them so early. If they woke Neo up anymore than they already had he was going to kill them. Grabbing his boxers off the floor, he slipped them on before opening the door. For some reason, he wasn't surprised to find Charger standing there with a scowl on his face. This was the Summoner Law was suppose to train with today. Filling his voice with annoyance, he said, "What?"

"You're late for training," Charger said.

"I'm not coming," Law said. "I need to spend time with Neo."

"You need to train. So, yes, you ar-" Charger started.

Law shut the door in his face, cutting the man off. There was no way he was going to deal with that man's hatred for pirates today. Running a hand through his messy hair, he walked back over to the bed. Lifting the blanket, up he crawled back under it. His arms ready and waiting to accept Neo when she snuggled back into his body. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to watch her sleep for a while until the thought of cooking her breakfast entered into his mind when she started dreaming about eggs. He smiled. Since being pregnant her dreams about food have increased. Now that he knew she would want that, he would make it for her when she was about to wake up. Breakfast in bed sounded like a nice thing to do together before heading out for the day.

An hour later, she opened her eyes to find him watching her sleep. He smiled and said, "Good morning, love."

"I'm hope you didn't stay up all night watching me," Neo said, sleepily.

"No," Law said. "I slept well. I've only been watching you for a few minutes." He brushed away a small trail of drool that was running down her chin. "You're really cute when you drool in your sleep."

Neo felt her cheeks warm slightly to his words.

"You're even cuter when you blush." Law kissed her lips. He smiled when her stomach rumbled with hunger and her food craving for eggs passed over to him again. "I guess you and our baby are hungry."

"Oh? Whatever gave you that impression?" Neo asked.

"Oh, I don't know. It could be because we are bonded and I get to share these cravings with you," Law said teasingly. "Or it could be because you were dreaming about them."

"I was?" Neo tilted her head. "I didn't even notice I was dreaming. At least it was about food and not some creepy shadows or you being faceless. I'll take food dreams over that any day."

"And that's why I made you breakfast," Law said.

"Hm?"

Law reached behind him. He grabbed one of his shirts off the nightstand that he had placed there a few minutes ago. He handed it to her before pulling the breakfast tray off the nightstand. He waiting for her to put the shirt on and sit up before placing it on her lap. "Breakfast in bed for the two most important people in the world to me."

"You're so sweet," Neo said, eyeing the eggs, buttered bread, and orange slices on the plate to eat and fresh milk to drink. There was enough for both of them. She pecked his lips. "I love it when you cook for me. It's so rare."

"Would you prefer I cook more?" Law asked.

Neo hummed in thought. "Not really. I like it this way. It's such a sweet and rare treat from you. Beside I know cooking isn't your most favorite thing in the world. And I love cooking for you."

"Then I wouldn't think of disappoint you," Law said.

"You're such a good boy. Thank you, my love," Neo said. She cupped her hand around his neck and pulled him into another kiss for as long as her rumbling tummy would allow. Which wasn't very long at all. She pulled away and started poking the eggs onto her fork.

Law couldn't help but chuckle as he watched her shoving the yellow fluff into her mouth. He was glad he scrambled some extras for her. Picking up his own fork, he started to eat with her, occasionally feeding her then kissing her.

"That was so good!" Neo exclaimed when they finished their breakfast.

"Glad you liked it so much," Law said. He picked up the tray from her lap and set it aside.

Neo got up on her knees. Wrapping her arms around Law's shoulders, she kissed his cheek. She said, "Last night was amazing."

"It was," Law said. "And I might start letting you use your pheromones on me more often."

"Oh really?" Neo nibbled on his ear, licked his earrings. Her lips curled into a smile when his body shivered at her teasing.

"Yes, really," Law said.

"Like you have a choice," Neo said, making him chuckle. Shifting her position, she pushed him back down to the bed. Since he had his shirt off, she started trailing kisses over his chest again. Speaking to him between each kiss. "So what are we going to do today?"  
"After seeing how everyone is doing, we're going to go out for a run," Law said.

"A run?" Neo asked, confused. She lifted up and looked at him. "Why that?"

"We're going in our leopard forms," Law said. His hands trailed over her thighs and up her sides.

"Oh," Neo said. "That could be fun. I've been wanting to check out more of the island."

"Then get dressed and we'll go," Law said.

"But I want to hold onto you." Neo leaned back down and licked the shell of his ear.

"You'll have plenty of time to do that later," Law said, his hands kneading her around orbs tenderly. "We have the entire day to spend together."

"I suppose you're right," Neo said. With a sigh she crawled off the bed, trailing her fingers over Law's skin as she went and missing his hands drop from her body. After gathering up her clothes, she wondered into the bathroom while Law got dressed and pushed opened the curtains to let the crews know that they had permission to disturb them now.

Just as Neo exited the bathroom she caught a glimpse of Luna wondering by the window. She was going to call out to the young girl just before she knocked on the door. She smiled when Law let their young guest in. She said, "Good morning, Luna. Did you sleep well?"

"I guess so," Luna said, sitting down on the couch.

"Did you need something?" Neo asked.

"Not really," Luna said, unable to meet Neo's eyes.

Neo tilted her head.

 _'Most likely she's feeling a bit insecure with her grandfather gone.'_ Law thought to Neo.

 _'I suppose so. Will she be all right? Should we do something for her?'_

 _'The only thing that can make this feel better is time.'_

 _'I guess so.'_

"Did you eat breakfast?" Neo asked.

"Yeah." Luna nodded. "The crews can back that up too."

"That's not needed," Neo said. "I know you told me the truth."

Luna nodded again.

"Are you sure you're all right with this?" Neo asked. Her worried eyes scanned over Luna's face. She was starting to have doubts about leaving her alone again, even thought she knew the girl would be with her crews. She wondered if it was normal to feel _this_ guilt.

 _'For you, it's normal.'_ Law answered her.

"Yes, I'll be fine," Luna said, shifting on the soft couch of Neo and Law's apartment. The couch that was destined to become her bed while she stayed with them here. They all knew that. They also knew that there would be times when she slept with other members of the crew once she became more friendly with them. "I know you and Law need time to spent alone, especially since he's been acting like he as been."

"If you need us to stay, we can," Neo said. She tossed an unsure look over at Law. Her love was now standing patiently near the door, waiting for her to be ready to leave.

"Really, Neo," Luna said again. "I'm fine. You two go on and have some fun. I just wanted to come see you before you left." She shrugged. "I know I could have waited for you to come out, but I just wanted to do this."

"She's right, Neo," Law said. "You're over thinking this far too much."

"I can't help it," Neo said. "I just feel really bad about leaving her despite wanting to be alone with you."

"That's just your maternal instincts kicking in," Law said, walking over to her.

"Is it really?" Neo asked while Law placed a kiss on her forehead.

"It is. Luna will be fine with the crew," Law said. "Besides we'll be back in time for dinner."

"All right," Neo said. "Let's go."

Law nodded. Leaving his sword behind, since he was sure they wouldn't need it, he slid his hand into Neo's and followed Luna out the door. The three made their way down to the ground where everyone was still waiting for them. Neo scanned her eyes over them all and said, "You all behave yourselves today."

"We will," they chorused.

"And keep a close eye on Luna," Neo said.

"Don't worry, my darling!" Sanji cooed. "We'll be sure to keep a close eye on your little girl!"

"I'm _not_ anyone's little girl!" Luna shouted, her cheeks flushing pink.

"You're cheeks suggest other wise," Usopp said, poking the girl in her tinted cheek.

"Stop that!" Luna smacked the sniper's hand away.

"Come on. Just admit it," Usopp said. "You like us a lot."

"Shut up," Luna said. She crossed her arms over her chest and turned away from the man.

"Admit it," Luffy said.

"Yeah, just admit it," Chopper said.

"Not happening," Luna said. She started walking around the area to try and get away from the three Straw Hat's now following her. "Will you leave me alone?"

"Idiots," Zoro said.

"Come on," Law said, tugging Neo away from the crews. "She's going to be just fine."

"I hope so," Neo said, her eyes locked on Luna as she continued to argue with Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp while walking away from them.

"I know she will," Law said, pulling her farther away. "If something happens the crew will call us on the transponder snail. I have it in my pocket."

"Okay," Neo said. Reluctantly, she turned away from the crew and followed Law. Once their apartment tree was out of their sight, Law summoned his aura and wrapped it around them both. The transformation was smooth and quicker than it had even been before. Three seconds was all it took for their bodies to turn into their snow leopard forms. Law looked Neo over, searching for anything that might have possibly gone wrong. She rubbed her head under his chin, telling him she was fine, before he stopped fusing over her. _"We're all right, my love. Let's get going."_

 _"You got it," Law said._

The two headed out. First they headed north towards the direction of the training grounds then veered off to the left towards the beach. They ran into the forest that separated them from the sea. The leaves cast down a cool shadow over them, blocking the hot sun. They barely felt the coolness through their fur they now wore on their bodies. It didn't take long for Law to break through the undertow of the bushes. The soft grass was replaced with the warm sand from the sun. He paused when he noticed Neo was no longer beside him. His heart took a sharp beat. His mind paused. Did she get hurt and he not realize it? Before his paranoia could go any farther, Neo descended on him from above.

 _"You got distracted and didn't even notice me taking to the air,"_ Neo said,tackling him to the ground.

 _"You weren't suppose to use your crystals,"_ Law said, playfully pinning her to the ground once he freed himself of her. _"We're suppose to be having fun out here."_

 _"That was fun."_ Neo smirked up at him. She could feel him rolling his eyes behind his snow leopard façade. _"You know it was."_

 _"It was not," Law said. "I thought you were hurt."_

 _"If I was you would have known it immediately, my bonded,"_ Neo said.

Law sighed. She was right. Despite his worry that she had been hurt in some way, he still felt no pain coming from their bond. He only panicked for no reason at all. _"All right. You win that one."_

 _"Good," Neo said._ She got back on her paws and shook off the sand from her fur before scratching her ear with her hind paw.

 _"How's our baby doing?"_ Law dropped his eyes down to her pregnant furry stomach. In this form she didn't really look like she was pregnant. But he knew she was. It was his instincts that told him that more than previous knowledge. It made him wonder, and scowl at, if other snow leopards were around how would they react to her? He had no idea how the males reacted to pregnant females. Did a male and female mate for life? Or did they have multiple female partners? He wished he knew. But then it didn't really matter. Real snow leopards would know she wasn't one of them while Summoners as snow leopards wouldn't dare come near her with such intentions in mind, especially with him around. His love was safe.

 _"Our baby is just fine."_ Neo tucked her head up under Law's head, purring softly. _"You're really cute when you this worried about us."_

Law chuckled. _"I can't help it. I just love you two so much."_

 _"I know you do,"_ Neo said. She licked his nose. _"How about a nice slow walk along the beach for a while?"_

 _"If that is what you want,"_ Law said.

 _"It is,"_ Neo said pulling away from him. The two turned and wondered down the beach. They stayed close until Neo wondered into the waves. The cool water refreshed her paws. One wave came a little too high onto the sand and touched Law's paws. Her heart skipped a beat when she felt them weakening.

Law grunted. His legs weakened under him.

Neo summoned a wind and water crystal. She wrapped the wind around Law to support him while pushing the water back away from them until she got him farther away from it. She then used her wind to dry him off. _"Law?"_

 _"I'm all right,"_ Law said. _"I was just a minor touch."_

 _"I know."_ Neo nodded. She finished drying him off then banished her crystals. _"Let's go back into the forest so this doesn't happen again. I don't want you accidently swept out to sea."_

Law nodded. Walking together the two pirates traded the warm beach for the cool forest. They walked at a slow, leisurely place. Their eyes roaming over the forest with it's large to small flowers, vines that draped down over the branches, the animals that gave them curious looks before wondering off on their own. A chuckle filled the air.

 _"What's so funny?"_ Neo asked.

 _"I was just wondering if the animals here would react the same with us as they would real snow leopards upon attacking them,"_ Law said.

 _"I do not believe they would,"_ Neo said. _"They know were are not what we appear to be. They can sense it."_

 _"Too bad,"_ Law said.

Neo could feel his sadistic desire to mess with the animals here. _"Oh, you knock that off! You're not going to mess with the animals here and give them heart attacks!"_

 _"I'm sorry,"_ Law said. _"I guess my thoughts went a bit overboard."_

Neo rolled her eyes and continued on through the forest with Law beside her.

 _"Hold up for a moment,"_ Law said a few minutes later.

 _"What is it?"_ Neo paused and looked at him.

 _"There's something I want to try while we have the chance and no one is around."_ Law walked behind her.

 _"What are you-Ah! Law!"_ Neo gasped when he mounted her.

…

"So what are we going to do now?" Luna asked once Sanji had kicked the three who insisted on following her around. They sat back now with steaming lumps on their heads with apologizes on their lips when Sanji told them to do it. She was currently sitting on the arm of one of the loveseats, kicking her legs back and forth.

"I figured we'd head off into town," Penguin said.

"What for?" Luna asked. "It's not like there's a whole lot to do there."

"We want to see how the preparations for the festival is going," Usopp said.

"Yeah!" Luffy cheered. "Festival!"

"Yeah! Festival!" Chopper echoed.

Luna sighed internally. Her eyes scanned around to the rest of the pirates that remained. The only others that were still around were Bepo, Topaz, Sanji, Robin, and Nami. The others had already wondered off towards the town, she assumed Franky went back to the shipyard instead. She also knew that Brook was still practicing for the festival. The rest she wasn't sure where they would be. She had a few guesses on some of the men spending time with women from the bars they've been to. But she wouldn't let her mind linger there for long. She didn't really want to know if they were in the company of women or not.

"Is there something specific you want to do?" Topaz asked. "I know it might be a bit early, but we do, at some point, need to clear out your grandfather's possessions."

"Isn't it a little early to bring that up?" Nami asked.

"It's fine," Luna said. "I know it has to be done at some point. I'm just not really ready to do that. It won't take long anyway. We didn't have much as it is. The only things I'm going to keep are his books and a picture of us that he always has on his nightstand. All the other stuff is the furniture and utensils and stuff."

"Which begs the question," Usopp said. "What are you going to do now? Will you take Neo up on her offer and set sail with us when we leave?"

"I don't know," Luna said. Her eyes drifted down to the grass. She didn't know what she wanted right now.

"You should come with us," Luffy said.

"Yeah, come with us," Chopper added.

"No one likes you here anyway," Luffy said.

"Too much, stupid!" Sanji, Shachi, and Penguin said while they punched Luffy.

"It's fine." Luna shook her head. "I'm not naïve to that fact. I'm just not sure what to do. I won't be able to decide until the M…" Her voice trailed off.

"Is there something wrong, Luna?" Robin asked.

"No." Luna shook her head. "It's nothing. We should go now."

"I'm ready to go as well," Bepo said.

"No one asked you," Shachi said.

"I'm sorry." Bepo ducked his head.

"Oh, stop being so mean to the bear," Luna said. She pushed herself off the armrest and walked over to Bepo. She glanced up at him at the same time he looked down at her. "He's cute. Must be really fun to cuddle with. Neo must have a ball with you."

"She does," Bepo said, his fur tinting pink. "That is, when she's not cuddling with the captain."

"She's a cuddlier, huh?" Luna asked.

"That she is," Bepo said.

"Is that because of her past?" Luna asked.

"I don't know," Bepo said. "It could be. But I get the feeling she would like to cuddle even if she didn't go through all of that."

"That is a possibility," Penguin said.

"Let's get going," Sanji said. "I'd like to get some more spices while we're in town. I'm running low on a few things."

"Let's get going then," Nami said.

The group nodded before wondering away from their currently location. While walking along, Bepo picked Luna up from behind and placed her on his shoulders.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Shachi complained with a smile. "You never give us a ride."

"Why would he?" Luna asked. Her eyelashes fluttered with innocence while her lips curl with mischievousness. "You're no where near as cute as I am."

Penguin laughed while Shachi frown. "She's got you there!"

"Oh, shut up," Shachi grumbled. "Looks like Luna will be spoiled if she does come along with us."

"No more than Neo is," Penguin said.

"Maybe joining the Heart Pirates isn't such a good idea after all," Nami said.

"Luna could join our crew then!" Luffy shouted. "I'd love to have a Summoner on my crew!"

"Yeah!" Chopper said.

"That's even worse!" Nami said.

"As much fun as that sounds, I don't think so," Luna said. "If I join any pirate crew it will be with Neo.

"Good choice," Sanji said. "I'd gladly leave the Straw Hats for Neo."

"You would not," Nami said.

"Of course not, Nami my dear!" Sanji said. "I'd never leave you, my darling! It would be such a hard decision though! I love you all so much!"

"Yeah right," Nami said while Robin just smiled.

"So does that mean you've made up your mind?" Chopper asked.

"No," Luna said. "I was just speaking theoretically." The wind picked up. She opened her eyes and looked right at Mount Zion. Dark clouds were gathering behind it in the distance. It sent a chill up her spine, making her shiver. When Bepo tilted his head up a bit, she wondered if he felt her movement. He didn't say anything if he did. So she assumed he didn't feel it.

"Looks like it might storm later," Penguin said, eyeing the storm with the rest of them.

"And it looks like it's moving in fast," Sanji said.

"I hope it stays away for a while longer," Chopper said. "Neo and Law need more time alone."

"They'll be fine," Luffy said. "After all, Neo can control this storm."

"You're right," Chopper said. "She'll probably just blow it away."

"That is a possibility," Shachi said. "But remember she doesn't like altering nature unless she has to. So this storm will probably come unless another Elemental blows it away."

"I hope it doesn't rain during the Summoner's Moon," Nami said. "I'm curious as to what goes on during that time."

"As am I," Robin said. "I can't wait to see all of the festivities."

"You don't have to worry about that," Topaz said. "I know that the Elementals will detour all of the incoming storms for the festival. They want a clear sky so they can see the moon."

"Is something supposed to happen with the moon?" Nami asked.

"It's suppose to become very big," Topaz said. "It calls the Summoners' auras up to it like a rainbow at night."

"That must be an amazing sight to see," Nami said. "I wonder how much it actually affects them."

"We'll know soon," Robin said.

"Just a few more days," Penguin said. "I hope this doesn't affect Neo and the baby. I mean, it shouldn't right? If women are also Summoners then some of them would have been pregnant during the Summoner's Moon. If there were complications then someone would have warned us about it."

"Relax, Penguin," Shachi said. "You just answered your own question. Healer Chase would have told us if that was possible."

Penguin nodded, despite the lingering doubt of this whole situation.

Luna dropped her eyes down to the top of Bepo's head. The words of the pirates faded away from her. They were replaced with thoughts of the Summoner's Moon. Her eyes drifted back over to the mountain. She wasn't ready for anything of what was to come. She was worried for Neo and Law. She agreed that Law's power was too good. She wanted the Summoner's Moon to be over with so he would hopefully go back to normal. Just a few more days. They would know what would happen in just a few more days. They all had to only hold on for a few more days. It would be over then. She hoped.

"Wow! This island of yours really does go all out for this Summoner's Moon festival!" Luffy said, eyeing all of the decorations going up in the town. There were so many streamers, banners, balloons, and so many other decorations that it looked like a birthday party had been thrown and no one bothered taking down the decorations. "I bet they have some amazing food for it as well!"

"That's all you ever think about, Straw Hat," Shachi said.

Luna jumped upon hearing their words.

"You all right up there?" Bepo asked, feeling her movement that time.

She didn't answer.

"Is something wrong, Luna?" Nami asked.

"No," Luna replied. She looked down at the orange haired woman. "Why would you ask?"

"You look a bit nervous," Nami said.

"I'm not," Luna said, less forceful than she had wanted.

"You miss Neo and Tra, don't you?" Luffy said.

"Yeah," Luna lied, a bit anyway. "I guess I do."

"Don't worry," Robin said. "I'm sure they won't spent all day away from you. Neo cares a lot about you after all."

Luna nodded. Her eyes drifted up to the crowds. Some of the people, mostly the younger ones, were giving her smug looks and taunting glances. But she didn't fear them. She knew she didn't have to anymore. Not with the pirates around. Since Neo had come into her life, she wasn't picked on as much. Her eyes dropped to the ground again. It was in that moment she realized how much she would miss Neo if she didn't go with her to become a pirate. But could she actually handle the pirate life? She was only a child after all. How many pirates had children on their crews? Surely not many. It wasn't a smart thing. Kids weren't as strong as adults, even with Devil Fruits. Adults would always dominate over the kids. But she was different from normal pirates. She was a Summoner. Once away from here, she could use her powers again and become stronger. She also had to admit, at least to herself, that she was growing rather fond of the rest of the pirates. It almost felt like she was part of a big family, especially with Luffy around. Her eyes went to his just as he looked at her, he smiled so brightly and carefree. Maybe she could get use to being a pirate after all with these people around.

…

 _"I can't believe you…we did that,"_ Neo said as they continued through the forest. A couple of times they passed by some Summoners training with their class. Luckily, they didn't run into any of the Summoners that were training Law. She was worried that if they did they would attempt to make Law go do his training instead of being out here with her. Coming to a pause on a cliff, she looked over to the dark sky gathering in the distance.

 _"You shouldn't have been surprised. I thought about doing it like that before,"_ Law said.

 _"I know! It's just…"_ Neo felt her face flush, but it didn't show on her furry cheeks.

 _"And we've done it that way before anyway in our bodies,"_ Law reminded her.

 _"I know! It's just…this was…I didn't…_ "

 _"It's amazing how innocent you can be when it comes to sex,"_ Law said, a chuckle deep in his throat.

Neo sighed. _"I know. I guess no matter how many times we get intimate I'm just always going to blush when we do something new or…kinky."_

 _"A storm is coming in,"_ Law said, having a bit of pity on her and changing the subject.

 _"Yeah,"_ Neo said. _"It won't be here for a while though. It's a couple hours out. And it might turn a different direction."_

 _"And if it doesn't? Will you move it away?"_

 _"Depends on how I feel."_ Neo tucked her head under Law's. _"It might be nice to go back to the apartment and listen to the rain while cuddling on the couch."_

 _"That does sound nice,"_ Law said, a purr rumbling from his throat.

 _"But for now, I want to continue running out here for a while,"_ Neo said, enjoying his soothing purr. _"Maybe we could go see the mountain?"_

 _"If that's what you want,"_ Law said.

 _"It is,"_ Neo replied.

The two took off again. Running through the trees like they didn't have a care in the world. It wasn't much longer when Neo's pregnancy symptoms finally caught up to her and she got tired. Once their bodies had turned back to normal, she said, "That was so much fun and yet so tiring."

"We can relax for a while," Law said, sitting down beside her. He looked out over the view they had. They stopped upon a cliff over looking the sea. Just behind them a few miles was Mount Zion, their next destination.

Neo summoned an earth crystal and grew her some strawberries. She hummed while sinking her teeth into the flesh and the sweet juice poured over her teeth and tongue. "So good."

Law nodded. He plucked a strawberry off the vine and popped it into his mouth.

Once she had her fill of strawberries, Neo laid back against the soft grass. She watched the white clouds floating lazily above them before drifting off to sleep.

Law couldn't help but chuckle. She wanted to spend time with him and now she was sleeping. He shook his head. He didn't blame her at all. She was supposed to rest when she needed it. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to her forehead then to her clothed stomach that shielded their baby before standing up. Moving away from her, he gathered his aura around him. "Rocks of Naturae. Rise up."

His aura shot out in all directions. Wrapping around all sizes of rocks, he pulled them into the air. Next he called out for vines to rise up. They obeyed his command. He snapped the vines, breaking the rocks into several pieces. "Chains of Naturae."

The rocks shifted. Pulling together until they morphed into a solid chain. His eyes drifted over to the mountain in the distance. He could feel it calling him to it. He wanted to go to it. The only reason he didn't was because of Neo. She wanted to go there. He wasn't going to go without her. His eyes dropped down to Neo. A small amount of guilt filled him. He told her he would take a break from training. He was breaking his promise. Still, he kept training knowing Neo was too tired to hear the noise he was making. And while he continued training, the desire to go to the mountain kept pulling at him. It replaced his guilt for training.

An hour later, he finally felt Neo was starting to break away from her slumber. He banished his aura. Rushing over to her, he laid down beside her and took deep breaths to calm his fast beating heart. He felt himself becoming relaxed just as she woke up.

"Hey," she said with a sleepy smile. "Have you been watching me or did you sleep too?"

"I've been watching you," Law lied. His mind filled with false images of him watching her. Well some were false while others were true. He did take plenty of looks at her during his training and he did watch her when he laid down. He hated that he lied to her. He didn't mind that he lied to her. He had no idea what was going on with him. "Are you ready to go to the mountain?"

"Just about," Neo said standing up. She headed over to the trees. "But first I got to visit the little girl's tree."

Law nodded. He waited patiently for her to come back. His eyes wondered up to the mountain. It wouldn't be much longer for them to finally get to it. Maybe then he'd get some answers or something. He wasn't sure. All he knew he was he needed to go there.

"Can we walk normally for a while?" Neo asked, walking back over to him. She leaned into him and batted her eyelashes at him. "Please? I want to hold your hand for a while."

"Very well," Law said, wrapping his arms around her. "Whatever you wish."

"Such a good boy." Neo pecked his lips then took his hand and led him into the forest. The crashing of the waves against the cliff was quickly replaced with the cheerful chirping of birds and chipmunks chattering happily while they foraged for food. Occasionally, one or more would wander over to the two pirates and scurry up their legs or fly to their shoulders and perch there until they felt like leaving. "The animals here are so friendly. And so cute."

"All animals are friendly when you're around," Law said.

Neo giggled. Her bells floated through the trees, mixing with the birds' songs. "I suppose you are correct on that."

"I know I am," Law said, pulling her closer to his side. "Are you feeling tired again?"  
"A little bit," Neo admitted. "But this is nice walking around like this."

"I know it is, but perhaps you should fly us to the mountain now," Law said. "That way we can see it then headed back to the apartment."

"Head back already?" Neo looked up at him.

"I know you sense the storm coming in," Law said just as the wind picked up.

"Yeah," Neo said with a sigh. "I was just hoping that it would change its course. But since it's not it looks like we get to cuddle and listen to the rain instead."

"Let's go then," Law said, nodding.

Neo nodded back. Summoning a wind crystal, she pulled them into the air and flew them over to the mountain in just a few seconds. A bad feeling washed over her when they landed. Her eyes locked onto the mountain before her. Something bad was coming from it, radiating out like heat from a fire. She just didn't know what. She tightened her hand on Law's. "Law, I don't like it here. Let's go."

"It's fine, Neo," Law said, pulling her closer to the mountain.

"Law," Neo said, stumbling along after him. "Don't you feel that?"

"Feel what?" Law kept his eyes locked onto the mountain.

"There's something bad here," Neo said.

"No, there's not," Law insisted. "You're just over thinking things again."

"I am not," Neo said. She tugged on his arm, trying to stop him. "Come on. Let's just go."

"No," Law said.

"Law, I'm serious," Neo said. "Something isn't…" Her voice trailed off when Law summoned his aura. "What are you doing?"

"I'm doing nothing at all," Law said, turning his eyes to Neo.

Neo jumped. Law eyes were black with the blue slits in them, exactly the same as they were on the beach. "Law…your eyes. They've changed again."

Law's lips curled into a dark grin. "So?"

"Law, we're leaving," Neo said. The urgency to get him away from this place pounded into her head.

"No!" Law jerked his hand from hers. He headed towards the mountain.

"Law! Stop!" Neo flew in front of him. "You need to get away from here!"

"I said everything is fine!" Law snapped, causing Neo to jump. "Stop being such a brat!"

"I'm not being a brat! And I'm going to let that slide since you're clearly not yourself!" Neo shot back.

"If you don't want to stay then you are free to leave," Law said, moving around her. "I'm staying here."

"You," Neo said, the wind increased around her. "You're coming with me."

"Hey!" Law protested when she pulled him into the air. "Neo, release me at once!"

"I won't!" Neo said.

"Fine. Then I order you to-" Law's voice cut off when Neo released her pheromones on him. His eyes glazed over.

"I'm sorry, Law," Neo said. "I don't want to control you like this. But I can't let you order me to put you down. Nor can I let you use your Room to warp away from me."

"Ne..o," Law said, struggling against her control.

Neo gritted her teeth. She could feel his entire body and soul fighting against her. She hated it. It scared her. She had no idea what he would do if he got free. Would he head straight back to the mountain? Or would he try and attack her? She swallowed hard and wished Seal would appear to help her. But she didn't sense him at all. She wondered if she should call the crew. Her eyes dropped to his pocket where the transponder snail was. Help was only one call away.

Law's aura gathered around him. It struck out in all directions in an attempt to free him. But with him at least half way under her control, he didn't come close to hitting her.

"Stop fighting me, Law," Neo said. Picking up the wind speed, she rushed away from the mountain. Then she felt Law's mind calming and clearing, the farther they got away from the mountain. Once he was calm enough and stopped struggling completely, she lowered them to the ground. Law dropped to his knees. She followed suit and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Law? Law!"

…

"I never would have guessed that it was possible for a skeleton to be living," Luna said as she watched Brook upon the stage. She grabbed her orange juice and took a sip of it before plucking a fry off her plate.

"It's because of his Devil Fruit," Sanji said, stirring his tea. "If he had returned immediately to his body then he wouldn't be a skeleton."

"And I thought Summoners could be weird," Luna said. "I think you Devil Fruit users are the strangest." She looked at Chopper. "Except yours. You're cute."

"Hey! Don't call me cute, you stupid moron," Chopper said, wiggling in his chair.

"Possibly," Shachi said, his arm draped over the back of his chair. "But Straw Hat here is the strangest of them all."

"Hm?" Luffy hummed around his mouth full of food.

"I don't think all of them are that strange," Bepo said. "The captain's not. It helps him with surgery too."

"Surgery and dissection," Penguin said.

"I wondered what it would be like if someone else ate the Op Op Devil Fruit," Nami said.

"Probably not as affective as it is for Tra," Usopp said. "If I remember correctly you have to be a rather skillful surgeon to make the most of that fruit."

"You're right," Penguin said. "And the captain has the skills. I just hope he never uses that one technique that will take his life."

"Yeah." Shachi nodded solemnly. "I hope he doesn't use that either. It would be bad enough to lose one of them. Losing both Neo and the captain would be the worst."

"It'll be fine," Bepo said. "I don't believe the captain will even use that."

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that," Sanji said.

Luna shot her eyes to Mount Zion when a bad, terrifying, feeling rushed over her.

"Is there something wrong, Luna?" Topaz asked.

"No, it's fine," Luna said. She turned back to her sandwich and took another bite of it. She tired to focus on the music and people around her. It wouldn't work. Her eyes kept drifting off towards the mountain. The bad feeling she had was swirling around in her stomach. She wondered if Neo and Law were somewhere close to the mountain. She should have warned them to stay away from there. It wasn't safe for Law to be near it.

When the wind picked up, Luna couldn't sit there any longer. Something was happening to Neo and Law. The legs of her chair scratched angrily over the ground when she pushed it back from the table.

"Luna?" Luffy asked after swallowing. "What's wrong?"

She didn't answer him. Luna broke away from the group, ignoring the calls for her to come back and asking what was wrong. She didn't bother turning around to see if they were following her. All she did was look ahead of her and run. Running as fast as her short legs could carry her, she broke through the crowds. She breaking through the crowds, earning cries of protests as she went.

"Hey! Watch it!"

"You little brat! You made me drop my bags!"

"Slow down! You're going to hurt someone!"

Luna kept running. She ran until the stone and wood smells of the town were replaced with the smells of the forest. Bushes and limbs scratched up her skin as she made her way through the forest. Tears swelled up in her eyes. She should have warned them. She should have told them. Why did she keep it to herself? "Neo! Law! I'm sorry! Don't be hurt! Please, just don't be hurt!"

…

"Law, please, talk to me!" Neo begged. Her tears poured down her cheeks as her head pounded. She felt dizzy but couldn't tell if it was from her being worried or if it was Law's dizziness passing to her. She had no idea how long she had been calling for Law to talk to her, but suddenly he placed his hands on her cheeks.

"Don't cry, love," Law said, lifting his eyes, his normal eyes, up to hers. "I'm fine."

"Law!" Neo said before wrapping her arms around his neck. "I was so worried! I thought you were losing control again! What happened?!"

"I don't know." Law slipped his arms around her waist. "It just happened. I felt like something was trying to take control of me."

"Law…"

"It's all right," Law said, rubbing his hand on her back. "You saved me. You got me away from there."

"But what _happened_?" Neo pulled back from him, examining his eyes. "You were normal until we landed at the base of the mountain."

"I don't know," Law said. His head and body swayed. "I just felt…different or something."

"Law," Neo said again.

"Neo! Law!" Luna's voice cried out of the trees.

"Luna? What's she doing here?" Neo turned her eyes towards the town. She could feel Luna's bat guardian coming closer to them. "I hope nothing went wrong with the crews. Can you stand up yet? You're so dizzy."

"I just need a minute," Law said. "It should pass."

Neo nodded. Her eyes darted between Law and the forest. A few seconds later, Luna broke through the bushes and rushed over to them. "Luna? What are you doing here?"

"Neo! Law!" Luna, tears dripping down her cheeks, ran right over to them. She flung her smaller arms around them both as best she could. "You shouldn't have come here! You shouldn't have come here near the mountain! I should have warned you! I'm sorry I didn't!"

"Luna, calm down." Neo placed her hand on Luna's back and rubbed it. "It's just a mountain." A strange feeling hit her. It wasn't just a mountain. She could feel something inside of it. But what was it? Was what she felt the Mortem Orb? "It's okay."

"No it's not!" Luna pulled back. "The Mortem Orb is sealed inside of that thing! You two could have gotten hurt! It's not…it's not safe for Law to come anywhere near it!"

Neo exchanged looks with Law. He was just as confused as she was. He said, "Luna, you need to calm down and tell us what you're talking about."

"Take some deep breaths, Luna," Neo said, still rubbing her back.

Luna obeyed. She took in a few deep breaths and calmed down. "I'm sorry. I just…got scared."

"Now, tell us what has you so scared," Neo said.

"It's just…" Luna started. She paused as if hesitating to continue. "The Mortem Orb is sealed away in that mountain. But our seals are not fool proof. Despite the number of years it's been in there, there's still the possibility that it could get free."

"That's not possible, Luna," Law said. "If it was the Summoners would be taking care of it."

"Maybe," Luna mumbled.

"What do you mean by that?" Neo asked.

"Nothing," Luna said. She brushed the back of her arm over her eyes, wiping the tears away. "It's just I was worried. I know that Law is very strong with his Summoner powers. He's different from the rest of us. I just didn't want him to get hurt. I didn't want you to get hurt since you're bonded with him."

"We're fine, Luna," Neo said.

"But something happened." Luna brought her eyes to Neo's.

"How did you know that?" Law asked.

"I just did," Luna said, shifting uncomfortably. "It was a feeling, you could say."

"Well, whatever it was, it's gone now," Neo said. "We're feeling better."

Luna nodded. Her eyes wondered up to a break in the trees where she could catch a glimpse of the mountain in the distance. She shivered and forced her eyes away from it.

"We should get back to the apartment," Neo said.

"You want to go back now?" Law asked.

"I do." Neo nodded. "It's going to start raining with in the hour anyway. We can still spend time together back there."

"All right then," Law said.

"I think the others might have followed me," Luna said, looking back the way she came. "We should probably walk back that way until we catch up with them."

"Do you feel up to walking?" Neo looked at Law.

"Yeah." Law pushed himself to his feet.

Neo followed his movements, her eyes never leaving him. Then with his arm around her shoulders and her arm around his waist, they headed off in the direction Luna came from. It didn't take them long to meet up with the group that Luna was with.

"Hey, what's up?" Usopp asked. "Why did you run off like that?"

"Geez! You're such a fast runner for a kid!" Luffy said through his pants.

"Captains! Are you hurt?" Penguin, Bepo, and Shachi ran up to their two captains.

"We're fine," Law said. "Just had a bit of an issue with Mount Zion."

"What happened?" Topaz asked, walking up to them.

They all listened closely as Neo and Law told them what happened and what they experienced.

"That's creepy," Nami said.

"Well, at least you're okay now," Luffy said.

"That doesn't sound right," Robin said. "Is it possible that the Mortem Orb is trying to break free of the seal that was used on it?"

"I don't know," Luna said when everyone turned their eyes to her. "I've never heard of a seal being broken. But I suppose it's possible. After all, Law is a bit different from the other Summoners here. And I just told him and Neo that our seals are not fool proof." She shrugged. "Sorry. I don't know."

"Perhaps we should just stay away from the mountain then," Sanji suggested.

"You can believe I'll stay away from it," Usopp said.

"I want to go see it," Luffy said.

"What's wrong with you?!" Usopp demanded.

"It sounds fun," Luffy replied.

"It sounds dangerous!" Usopp said. "You're not going anywhere near it! I mean, the only place you're going is away from that mountain!"

"Aw, come on!" Luffy whined.

"We should head back anyway," Sanji said, looking up at the darkening sky. "That storm is moving in uncharacteristically fast."

"The twins must be at it again," Penguin said.

"They better not be," Shachi said. "I don't want to have to go through a storm that caused all that damage in town."

"Why would you be worried about that since we have Neo with us?" Bepo asked.

"Oh, right," Shachi said.

"Let's just go," Neo said. She wrapped her winds around them all and carried them back to their apartments.

"Your blood pressure's not up is it?" Chopper asked.

"It's not," Neo said. "Don't worry."

"Sorry I interrupted your day out," Luna said.

"Don't worry about it," Neo said.

"It wasn't your fault anyway," Law added.

"We can play now!" Luffy said.

"Play what?" Luna asked.

"Um." Luffy crossed his arms and legs, in an attempt to think. "I don't know. We'll figure out something once we get back to Tra and Neo's room."

"You are not stay with us, Straw Hat," Law said, frowning.

"Of course I am!" Luffy said. "We're going to play!"

Law sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He hated when Luffy got like this. There was nothing he could do to stop the rubber captain.

"We'll give him a few minutes then kick him out," Neo said.

"Fine," Law said. "But no more than an hour."

Neo nodded in agreement. When they got back to their apartment, Luffy and Chopper were the only ones who stayed with Law, Neo, and Luna. The Elemental used her crystals in playful ways that would fit in their small apartment. At one point, Luffy stretched out his arms for them to use as ropes. Luna and Chopper jumped over Luffy's arms. Neo leaned back into Law's arms and smiled. It felt good to see Luna smiling and having fun despite not really understand how the mountain upset her so much. But then with how she felt herself, maybe Luna had a point. They shouldn't go anywhere near that mountain again.

Soon the two Straw Hats had fallen asleep on the floor. Since they had nothing else planned, Law decided to leave them there. Neo sat curled up on the couch with a book in her hands. The door to their room was wide open. The only sounds filling the space were Law's grunting as he pushed through his pushups, that Neo relented to reluctantly, and the sound of the rain beating down on the outside world. She allowed her eyes to drift down to the floor where Luna was laying on her stomach reading. Her eyes flittered back to the words on the pages. She read for a few more minutes before something moving beside her pulled her attention away. Luna had crawled upon the couch beside her. The sleepily look in her lavender eyes told her that she wasn't going to be awake for much longer. In fact, she figured Luna was only crawling under her cover half asleep and didn't know what she was doing. She smiled when Luna relaxed against her side and closed her eyes with an intent sigh. "She must not have slept so well after all last night."

"Probably didn't," Law said, thinking about how he saw her running off towards the forest late last night. He wanted to ask the girl about it, but never could bring himself to do so. Nor could he bring himself to tell Neo about it. He wondered why. It wasn't like him to keep secrets from Neo.

"That's enough of that," Neo said to Law. "Come cuddle with me now like you're suppose to."

"Okay," Law said. Getting up, he walked over to Neo.

Neo gently lifted Luna up just enough so she could give Law some room to sit down before leaning back against him. "Now this is nice."

"It is," Law said.

"The rain's very relating to listen to," Neo said. "We don't get to do this much on the sub."

"I guess we don't," Law said.

"Do you think we'll cuddle with our baby like this?" Neo asked.

"Of course we will," Law said.

"I can't wait for our baby to finally get here," Neo said.

"I can't wait either," Law said, his hand found its way to her stomach. "I can't wait to see you holding our child in your arms. You're going to make a wonderful mother."

"And you a wonderful father." Neo turned her head to him and kissed him.


	20. Summoner's Moon

Summoner's Moon

Neo woke with a startled gasp from the same nightmare about Law being faceless. Despite it being the exact same as all the past time she's had it, this one felt way more intense. Something bad was going to happen today. And she couldn't stop it. She had been sluggish all morning long. She clung to Law, refusing to let him leave her grip or sight. So far he didn't seemed to mind. He allowed her to cling to him like always. But something about it felt different. Law felt distant to her no matter how close she was to him, even sitting on his lap.

Currently, she was sitting beside Law outside. Her arms were wrapped around his like he would disappear if she dared to let him go. The sky was a dull grey and the wind was so cool that they all were wearing long sleeves and pants. Lifting her eyes, she looked around at her crews. She knew they felt something was odd today as well. But no one said anything about it. They knew that whatever was going to happen, they weren't going to be able to stop it from happening, and it was going to happen today. They all just hoped they could put an end to it soon. Before anyone got seriously hurt. But they knew that was a long shot. Someone was going to get hurt, or even worse.

"Ah! This is so boring!" Luffy cried from his spot on the ground where he was sprawled out. "I want to have some fun!"

"You always want to have fun," Nami said. "Even at the most inappropriate times. Like right now."

"But we're not doing anything but sitting here," Luffy said.

Neo pulled her eyes away from them as the two continued to argue with each other. Her eyes landed on Bepo, Penguin, Luna, and Topaz. They, plus herself, were by far the most tense of the group. They all could sense that something in nature was changing. Something bad was coming. Her eyes focused on Luna. For some reason, the white haired girl was the most nervous. She kept darting her eyes around. Neo never could figure out why she was doing that or what exactly she was looking for. Whenever she asked, Luna said she was fine. It became pointless to ask since she always got the same answer. So she stopped.

"Okay," Topaz announced, "I'm going for a walk for a while. Sitting around like this is driving me crazy."

Neo lifted her eyes to her sister when she looked at her.

"I'll come by the training grounds later to check on you," Topaz said.

Neo nodded and watched Topaz walk off towards the town. She knew why the fire Elemental was going there. Topaz was going to talk to the other Elementals and see if they were feeling the same exact thing that they were. It was a good idea.

"Time to go," Law said.

Neo sighed and stood up with him. As they headed towards the training ground, she pulled the hood of their favorite hoodie over her head. It warmed and calmed her to have Law's hoodie on, but only a little. She summoned a wind crystal. This time only Bepo, Chopper, Luna, and Penguin were going to watch Law train. She clung to Law when they landed. Knowing it was just childish, she still thought that if she didn't release him, nothing bad would happen. But she had to let go. She knew she had to.

Law pressed a kiss to her lips. He wanted to tell her that it would be all right, but those words have been tossed around so much they were starting to lose their meaning. Reluctantly, he stepped away from her, leaving his sword and his hat with her.

Neo adjusted his hat on her head before creating them all flower seats to sit down. All four of the trainer Summoners was there. And all four of them were going to fight Law simultaneously. She flinched when attacks started flying between them and Law. So many vines snapped, rocks were lifted out of the ground, Charger kept setting off earth quake after earth quake while the others turned their auras into animals, and Law easily avoided most of the attempts. Occasionally, he would get hit by something. She would flinch and rub her body where the hit occurred on him.

She had no idea how long they had been sparring when something happened. Something changed inside of Law. Neo felt the same presence taking him over as it did when they were near the mountain and on the beach. Law started attacking back with extreme force. His aura spread over his eyes. She knew he was, some how, watching all four of the Summoners at once. He blocked Art's attack, slammed Zip and Lavi onto their backs with vines wrapped around their ankles, and then he slammed a large rock onto Charger. Charger managed to crack the rock with his aura before it did any damage to him. She held her breath when she saw Charger's eyes turned red with anger. She knew that man was looking for any excuse to hurt Law as much as he possibly could. And he did, or he tried to. She gripped Law's sword, her whole body tensing.

…

Law smirked at the hate that was now in Charger's eyes. He wanted the man to attack with all his fury. He was angry enough with the Summoner that he wanted a real battle between them. And with what he had just done to the Summoners, he knew that fight was going to happen now. "What's the matter? Am I too much for you?"

"You're nothing, _pirate_ ," Charger hissed. His aura flared up into a large hammer. He swung it down towards Law.

Law's smirk grew. He didn't take his eyes off Charger. He waited until the last second to warp away from his current location. The aura hammer hit the ground, crackling it severely.

"Hey!" Charger protested when Law reappeared behind him. "You aren't allowed to use your Devil Fruit powers!"

"And you're not suppose to be so rough on a new Summoner," Law said, glowing at the anger he saw in Charger's eyes. "Besides, I think we both know where this is going."

"Fine then," Charger said, rolling his head around to stretch out his neck. "Then let's do this."

The two Summoners aura crackled and snapped. Or maybe it was the tension between them. Either way, they dashed forward towards each other. Each lashing out fast and hard with their auras before bringing in summons. Their voices mixed together to the point it was hard to tell who was actually saying what.

…

The other three Summoners gathered together and watched the storm between Law and Charger from a safe distance. The two were moving so fast that they could barely keep up with their movements.

"Oh great," Lavi said.

"Well, who didn't see this coming?" Art asked.

"Should we stop them?" Lavi asked.

"Do _you_ want to get involved in that?" Zip questioned.

Law and Charger's auras collided, sending ripples of aftershocks through the air and the ground. They traded a fury of punches and kicked before lashing back out at each other with their auras.

"Not really," Lavi said, shifting on his feet.

"I'm going to go tell the Council about this," Zip said. "We can't let this go on forever. Someone's going to get hurt."

"You're only going because of the princess," Lavi said.

Zip shrugged. "I like her. She's sweet. Besides, Charger is the one in the wrong here. He's holding a personal grudge against Law only because he's a pirate. He doesn't act like this with anyone else."

Lavi and Art had to nod in agreement. Charger was holding a personal grudge against Law for being a pirate. It never became a problem until now. Law was the first pirate Summoner they had to deal with like this.

"Fine," Art said. "Go tell them. There are some other new trainees near by. If this keeps up some of them could get hurt. And that would not be good at all."

Zip nodded. Gathering his aura around him, he took off.

…

Neo flinched and closed her eyes when Law mercilessly pounded into Charger. She wanted so badly to stop him, but she couldn't bring herself to connect to Law's mine. She couldn't even feel Law's mind anymore. He was too focus on the fight he was in. She didn't like it.

"Is he…is he going to kill him?" Luna asked, hesitantly.

"No," Penguin said, though his voice showed them that he wasn't really sure. "Well, at least he won't unless Charger taunts him by using Neo."

"I don't like this," Bepo said. "I want the real captain back."

"We all do," Chopper said, rubbing Neo's back.

Neo closed her eyes. Resting Law's sword against her shoulder, she clamped her hands over her ears and closed her eyes tightly. She didn't want to hear this. She didn't want to see this. Penguin was right. All it would take is for Charger to be the tiniest bit hostile towards her and Law would kill him. _"Seal? Seal, are you there? Please, answer me."_

 _"I'm here, my cub."_

 _"What's happening to him?"_

 _"I'm sorry. I do not know. Something is blocking me from getting to his mind completely."_

 _"When will it stop?"_

 _"I don't know. I'm so sorry, Cub. I wish there was something I could do for him."_

Neo sighed. She was wishing the same thing. She was ready for this Summoner's Moon thing to be over with. She wanted Law back. She wanted _her_ Law back.

…

"You're pathetic," Charger said, avoiding getting cut by Law's aura.

"Look who's talking," Law said. "You're holding an unfair grudge against me. What did I ever do to you?"

"I'm holding a justified grudge against you, _pirate_ ," Charger said.

"Yeah, right," Law said, tossing a punch at his opponent. "Whatever your deal is, it's truly target at one specific person or possible crew. I don't know what happened to you and I don't really care, but I won't tolerate your attitude anymore."

"I don't care," Charger said, kicked his foot at Law's head. "I'm going to finish with _you_ then I'm going to kick the rest of you _pirates_ off my island. Starting with that _princess_ of yours."

Law snapped. He jumped back from Charger. A dark aura flowed around him, death float around him. He was going to kill Charger. Without a word, and without warning, he shot forward. His aura and his fists pounded into Charger's body before the Summoner could even react, blood flew into the air. It filled Law's nose with iron, feeding his sadistic desire to torture and kill the man he was hitting. His aura surrounded his fist, he continued punching Charger. Bones cracked under Law's hits. His mind was lost on what he was doing. His body was now just reacting, as if to someone else's will. Someone else's will that had a desire to make the Summoner's pay for what they did.

…

"Oh no," Neo said. She shot her eyes up to Law. She felt him snap. She felt him go dark. He was going to kill Charger. Or someone else was. She couldn't be sure. It was like something was inside of Law, fighting him over control of his body. A shadow passed over her mind from Law's. It was the shadow creature from her nightmare. It had returned. And it was trying to block her and Seal from Law. "No…"

"What do we do?! What do we do?!" Chopper shrieked.

"We need to stop him!" Bepo said.

"How?! None of us are strong enough to fight the captain!" Penguin said.

"I don't like this!" Luna closed her eyes and grabbed her head. She leaned against Neo's arm. "Neo! Do something!"

"I don't know what," Neo said honestly. "If I use my crystals on him, he can still use his aura to attack Charger." She slipped her arm around Luna. "Besides, you all know that I can't even get Law to stop when he feels like I've been threatened."

"That's true," Penguin said. "But the consequences for this will be dire."

"Huh?" Bepo turned away from the fight. "Someone's coming."

"Great," Neo grumbled. "It's the Council."

"Maybe they can stop this," Penguin said.

"They won't help," Neo said. "They don't care."

They watched as the three Council members ran up to them with Zip and about twenty other Summoners following close behind. Once close enough, Mohan shot out this aura and cracked the ground, separating Law and Charger. "Orb of Naturae! Ground Division! That is enough!"

Law spit before glaring at the man who dared stopped him, his aura flicking wildly.

Neo wasn't sure but she thought she saw some fear and hesitation in Mohan's eyes when Law looked at him.

The other three trainers rushed over to Charger to check on him.

"Well, this isn't good," Morana said, eyeing Law's aura.

"Indeed," Fatin said.

"What do you mean by that?" Bepo asked.

"Summoner Law's aura is out of control," Mohan said. "I'm afraid he will have to be locked up until the Summoner's Moon has passed. And no one will be allowed to be in contact with him until the Summoner's Moon is gone."

"What?!" Neo jumped to her feet, clenching Law's sword hard. Her heart felt like it was encased in ice. They were threatening to take Law away from her. "Why?!"

"I just said why," Mohan said.

"Sorry, _Princess_ ," Fatin said. "That's the way it is."

"Shut up!" Neo snapped. "You people have no right to do that to him! You have no right to keep us away from him! You have no right to keep _me_ away from him!"

"We have no choice," Mohan said. He gestured to the other twenty Summoners. "Summoners, lock him up."

The Summoners moved towards Law.

"No!" Neo snapped. Summoning her crystals, she placed them between her loved ones and the Summoners. "You will _not_ touching him!"

"If you do not let us do our jobs, then we will have no choice but to lock you and yours up as well," Mohan said.

"Uh oh," Penguin said.

"You just made a _big_ mistake," Bepo added.

"And why is that?" Mohan asked, his facial expression telling them he didn't care.

"Neo is fiercely protect of those she loves," Penguin said. "I thought we warned you of that when we first came here."

All their eyes turned to Neo. She had clenched her teeth. Her knuckles were white from gripping Law's sword so hard. Angry rumbled inside of her and in her storm that was starting to brew above them. They were going to pay for trying to use her family against her and try to lock up Law.

"Neo?" Luna said unsurely.

"Relax," Chopper said. "Neo's fury is only on the Summoners. She won't hurt us at all."

Luna nodded and relaxed.

"Enough! I will not allow your royal tantrum stop us from doing what needs to be done!" Mohan said. He pointed at Law. "I said take him in!"

The Summoners hesitated that time. Their eyes darted between the man who gave them the order and the Elemental who could easily blow them off the island if she wanted to.

"You haven't seen me throwing a tantrum," Neo said. She whipped the wind around all of the Summoners, lifting them into the air, but for the three trainers she actually liked. Her hair flew wildly around her body. She tried to keep as calm as she possible could so her blood pressure wouldn't go up.

"Neo!" Topaz cried out from somewhere behind her.

Neo didn't dare look at her sister. She didn't have to. She could sense Topaz's fire and Elek's eagle coming towards them in a hurry.

"What's going on?!" Elek asked.

"Oh, you know, the usual," Penguin said, shoving his hands into his pockets like this was an everyday event. "The captain and Charger finally confronted each other, Charger threatened Neo, the captain got furious and tried to kill him, and then these _stupid_ Council people showed up and threatened to lock then captain up and then all of us." He shrugged. "Neo snapped."

"You did what?" Topaz's eyes snapped to the Summoner Council members.

"Well, that was a real stupid thing to do," Elek added.

"Summoner Elek, you stay out of this," Mohan said. "You're personal feelings for the Elementals cloud your judgment."

"That's garbage," Elek said. "You're the ones who aren't seeing things clearly here."

"That is _enough_ , Summoner Elek," Morana said.

Elek just gave her a carefree shrug. "Fine. Then continue with was you're doing. I'm going to enjoy this."

"We'll deal with you later! Take him in now!" Mohan said, pointing at Law. "I'm growing impatient!"

"We'd love to, sir," a Summoner said. "But we can't get down from here."

Mohan growled. His face grew red.

"I'll let you all go _if_ you _leave_ Law and us alone," Neo said.

"That won't be happening," Mohan said, turning his furious eyes to Neo. "Don't forget your place here, _Princess_. You are a _guest_. This is _not_ your kingdom."

"Don't forget _your_ place here," Neo shot back. "You might have a lot of Summoners on your side, but I have the Elementals. And your powers cannot stand up to our magic over nature."

Mohan's face grew even brighter. He knew what Neo said was saying the truth. If they did break into a fight, the Summoners wouldn't win.

"The captain's run off!" Penguin said.

"He what?" Neo looked around. She was so angry she didn't even sense him taking off as he disappeared into the forest. "Why?"

"See what you did?!" Morana said. "You've let him _escape_!"

"I was not going to let you lock him up!" Neo said, glaring at the Summoners again. She banished her crystals, letting them fall to the ground, some landing on their feet while others didn't have such a graceful landing.

"Find him!" Mohan ordered.

The Summoners scattered to try and find and catch up with Law.

"You won't catch him," Neo said. "And you will not lock him up."

"You have no say in the matter, _Princess_!" Fatin hissed.

"Law is my _husband_! I have every right to have a say in this!" Neo shot back. Thunder cracked above them. The wind howled through the trees, threatening to knock them all off their feet.

"We _will_ find him," Mohan said before stalking off.

"Good luck," Neo mumbled. She released her anger before she could get too upset. Her eyes locked onto Luna. The girl was crying once more. "Luna, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's not…it's not…" Luna gasped through her tears. "It's all my fault!"

"What do you mean by that?" Bepo said. "Nothing that happened here is your fault."

"Yes it is! I should have told you before!" Luna rubbed her fists into her eyes. "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't want to keep it a secret! I was scared! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!"

"Luna." Neo placed a hand on the girl's hair between her bat ears. Her hand moved to her back when Luna buried her face in her chest. "What's wrong?"

"Neo, we should call the others and head back to the apartments," Penguin said since Luna was too busy crying to answer. "And we need to find the captain."

"He's heading to Mount Zion," Neo said. "I can barely sense his mind. Whatever my nightmares have been about, it's starting now."

"Just great," Penguin said.

"I'll start calling the other," Bepo said. He pulled out his transponder snail and started dialing.

"I'll help," Topaz said, pulling out her own. She then looked at the man beside her "What are you going to do?"

"I'm not sure," Elek replied. "I think I'll just stick with you all for a while. You might need me."

"Then let's go," Chopper said. He pulled out his own transponder snail to call up his crew.

Neo flew them all back to the apartments. She sat down with Luna while their crews started gathering back with them. All were asking questions as to what was going on and why they were called back. And all were shocked when they learned of what happened.

"So what do we do now?" Tero asked.

"I don't know but I suggest for Luna to tell us what she knows," Sanji said, looking right at Luna. Murmurs of confusion passed through the pirates. "I know you know more than what you're letting on."

Luna clenched her hands on her dress.

"Luna?" Neo turned her eyes to the girl. "Do you know something about what's going on?"

"I do. And you're not going to like it," Luna said, rubbing her hands in her eyes. "You're going to hate me for keeping it a secret."

"We're not going to hate you, Luna," Robin said. "Nothing that's happened is your fault."

"I think it is," Luna said. "I _know_ it is."

"Just tell us," Nami said, stroking the girl's hair. "We'll decide that afterwards."

Luna exhaled. "Fine. The truth is…I knew what was happening. I knew that the Mortem Orb was trying to break free from the seal that held it in the mountain because…I can…I can communicate with it."

"What do you mean?" Shachi asked.

"How can you talk to an _orb_?" Penguin added.

"Because, in a way, they're alive," Luna said.

"Then that shadow creature is…" Neo's voice trailed off.

"Yeah." Luna nodded. "That shadow is the physical form of the Mortem Orb, or at least one of them. I believe that it can change its shape because it is basically shadows or technically death. It's complicated. Anyway, I should probably go back to the very beginning. The first time I spoke with the Mortem Orb was when I became an Astral Summoner. The Mortem Orb told me everything that happened to it when it was sealed and a little before that. It all happened before the previous Summoner's Moon. The Council wanted to use the Mortem Orb because they learned that it could help keep them young forever."

"What?!" Usopp shouted. "What are you saying?! That these Council members here are the same ones from four hundred and fifty years ago?!"

"That correct." Luna nodded. "People these days still think that that part of the Mortem Orb is just a myth because no one has seen it happen. Well, they have seen it. They just don't realize it because they have no idea what happened back then. When the Council, who were teenagers at the time, learned of two different summons that were suppose to have been sealed away themselves because of what they can do. The first one can seal any orb in Mount Zion. And the second one allows a Summoner to use the Mortem Orb to pull the life out of others and give it to the ones who used the summons. Apparently, there's a flaw in the sealing summons and they tricked a young and naïve Summoner into sealing the Mortem Orb by saying the one who wielded it was out of control. The flaw allows some of the Mortem Orb's powers to leak out. And since they're not using the full effect of the orb, anyone of any Summoner level can use it. It's really a double edge sword if you think about it."

"But if they were teenagers, how can they be as old as they are now?" Chopper asked.

"Because the orb keeps you young looking on the outside but you still age," Luna said. "I think it just slows down the aging process."

"How does that happen?" Topaz said. "Wait! Does this have something to do with the mysterious sickness that's been going around?!"

"That's exactly what it is," Luna said. "The orb drains the life of others and puts their life force into the Council. To keep their youthful selves they had to take the lives of others to continue living."

"And what does this have to do with the captain?" Tero asked. "Was it just coincidence that we came here at this time?"

"No, it was done on purpose," Luna said.

"What are you saying?" Neo asked, cold dread gripping her chest.

"The Council knew that the Mortem Orb was starting to break free from the seal. They are afraid that it'll seek revenge on them for what they did," Luna said. "And that's exactly what it's doing right now. Law is apparently strong enough to wield and control it. Or he should be. Right now the orb is controlling him more than he's controlling it. And that's what the Mortem Orb wants."

Neo's heart tightened. The air in her lungs seemed to vanish. Her body went cold. Despite already knowing the answer she still asked, "Law's Summoner's powers were released on purpose, weren't they?"  
"They were," Luna.

"I guess that explains it then," Sanji said, earning a stare from everyone.

"What are you talking about?" Zoro asked.

"Back on the beach," Sanji said. "Remember when the sea stone chains lifted off of Law?" Everyone nodded. "Well, I saw a purple aura lifting off of them. I wasn't sure at the time if it was possible but…" He paused and looked at Elek. "…red and blue make purple."

Neo felt her heart stop. Her eyes drifted up to Elek.

"So you _knew_ about this!" Penguin snapped. He grabbed Elek by the front of his shirt while his shipmates gathered around. "You _knew_?!"

"No. Not really. I mean, we didn't know _everything_ ," Elek said. "We only knew what they Council told us."

"And what was that?" Franky asked.

"They told us that we needed someone to control the Mortem Orb incase it got free before they could seal it back again. They summoned the gargoyle creature so we could use it as a ruse to get close to people," Elek said. "That's all we knew. We didn't know about anything else that Luna has told us."

"But you did it on purpose!" Penguin said. He pulled back his fist, ready to punch Elek for what he and Bao did. Just as he swung his fist forward, Neo grabbed his wrist, stopping him. "Neo."

She shook her head. "Punching him won't help Law now."

Sighing, Penguin lowered his arms.

"But why the charade?" Tero asked. "Why not just ask us to come with you?"  
"We needed to give you no other option," Elek said. "So we freed Trafalgar to make it look like you wouldn't be able to control him."

"So we didn't need to come here after all," Shachi said.

"No, you still needed to come here to get his animal guardian and to at least have an experienced Summoner telling him what he needed to do," Elek said.

"Luna, did your grandfather know about this?" Robin asked.

"He did," Luna said with a nod. "I told him about it all. I told everyone about it but he was the only one who believed me. He put a book in the library with the history messed up in hopes that someone would see it and start asking questions."

"We saw that book," Robin said.

"And that would explain why Morana was so ticked off at the librarian," Sanji said, exhaling smoke from his mouth.

"When I first learned about all of this I was being trained by the Council themselves," Luna said. "I stopped when the Mortem told me that I was going to suffer the same fate as the one before. They're planning on killing me after I had preformed the summons to keep the orb sealed. I didn't want to die so they could continue being selfish." She clenched her fists, her entire body shook. Tears poured freely down her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I wanted…I tried to tell you all so many times, but I was scared. I didn't want you all to hate me like everyone else did. You all were so nice to me."

"Is this why you're always half in your bat form?" Brook asked.

"It is." Luna nodded. "I keep it like this because I wanted to be in constant contact with the Mortem Orb. I've been trying to talk it out of seeking revenge through Law. I'm sorry. This is all my fault. If I had just told you sooner this wouldn't have happened. It's all my fault."

Neo stepped towards the girl. Dropping to her knees, she wrapped her arms around Luna. "Shh. It's not your fault. You were just scared. You did nothing wrong. We don't blame you for any of this."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Luna cried. She buried her face into Neo's shoulder and held on tight to her. "I didn't want to hurt you or Law."

"I know, I know," Neo said soothingly. "I don't blame you at all for this." She pulled back and stroked Luna's cheek. Then her entire body shook as she glared at the Summoner with them. "Though I do blame _you!_ "

"Neo, we're really sorry," Elek said. "If we had known then we never would have-"

"Stop it! If you had just told us all of this from the start Law wouldn't be in trouble!" Neo snapped. She stood up and marched over to Elek. Poking him in the chest she demanded him to fix this mess. "Just give him back! Give me back my bonded!" Her stomach turned. Rushing away from them she dropped to her knees and gave everything in her stomach up.

Chopper and Penguin rushed over to her. While Chopper rubbed her back, Penguin held back her hair and placed his other hand on her forehead.

"Topaz, I'm sorry," Elek said.

Topaz looked at him for a moment before walking over to Neo without a word.

"Topaz." Elek started to follow her, but the Heart Pirates blocked his way with their arms crossed over their chests and their eyes glaring at him.

…

Law rushed through the forest. In the back of his mind, he wanted to go back to Neo. But he just kept running towards _that_ mountain. It felt like something had taken over his body and his mind. The sight of moment in the forest made him stop suddenly. He clenched his fists. "I know you're there. Come out."

"Such good instincts," Fatin said. She rolled her body around the tree she had been hiding behind.

"How did you get here so fast?" Law asked.

"Our Summoner auras are an amazing thing," Fatin said, draping her body against the tree in a seductive way. "They're looking for you."

"I don't care," Law said. He walked on and right passed her. His lips curled into a frown when she grabbed his arm and pulled his body flushed with hers. "What are you doing?"

"What do you think?" Fatin asked. She trailed her hand over his arm then his chest, feeling the muscle under the fabric of his shirt. "So amazing. I bet you're wonderful in bed."

"That is something you'll never know," Law said, though he didn't pull away from her. His eyes ran over her face before lowering to her chest. Her robe had been opened. He knew it was done on purpose. She wanted him to see her exposed breasts. She was trying to seduce him. Only instead of seeing her breasts, all he could see was the bright red blood that would spill between the valley of the fleshy orbs when he ran his sword through her heart.

"Oh? Maybe I will fine out," Fatin said. "You haven't pulled away from me yet. I think you might be attracted to me after all."

"It's all in your head." Law pulled away from her. "Leave me alone. I have something to do."

"I know," Fatin said with a frown. "How about I keep you company?"

"Go away." Law headed on towards the mountain.

"It's no fun being alone," Fatin said. She followed after him. "Besides, this is my home island. I can go wherever I wish."

"Then why ask to come along?" Law asked without looking back at her. In a way, he wanted her to follow. But he got the feeling it wasn't really _his desire_. It was whatever was in his head that wanted her to follow. He could feel the dark shadows shifting in his brain, clouding his own thoughts and taking over his body.

"Good point," Fatin said. "We'll just enjoy this pleasant walk together then."

Law didn't reply. He just kept his eyes straight towards the mountain. Soon he would be able to see Mount Zion. And soon he did. The rocky edges of the mountain broke through the trees and bushes. He picked up his pace until he had broke through the forest. His body jolted to a pause when he saw the mountain. There was a black scar on it. No, there was a crack on the side of the mountain that hadn't been there before. Pushing it aside, he walked closer to the mountain and stared at it.

…

"Prepare the Summoners! I want everyone look for him! I want him under control or killed on sight! Just find him!" Mohan barked while making his way back to their headquarters. "Have everyone who is not a fighter return to their homes until we find Summoner Law! No one is permitted to leave their homes until this mess is cleared up and the Mortem Orb is once again sealed safely behind the mountain or Summoner Law is dead or subdued!"

"This is bad," Morana said while the Summoners took off to fill their orders. "This is happening all too fast. The Summoner's Moon isn't even here. Something went wrong."

"Just relax," Mohan said. They reached their headquarters. Pushing the doors open then entered and closed them behind them with a clank. The halls were eerily quiet and chilly. Their hurried footsteps echoed through the empty halls. The shadows flickered across the smooth walls as they passed the small lights.

"Do not tell me to relax!" Morana said. "Everything is messed up! We don't have a Fourth Level Summoner to preform the summons to seal the Mortem Orb again! That brat turned against us for some reason!"

"If only we knew why," Mohan said finally reaching their receiving room. "We need that girl. She was such a powerful Summoner. We need Luna. Fatin?!" He looked around to find the woman wasn't with them. "Where did she go?!"

"Of all the times for her to wonder off," Morana hissed then cursed. "You don't suppose she went after Summoner Law, do you?"  
"If she did, she made a fatal mistake," Mohan said, gripping his hands tightly. "We have no idea how _free_ the Mortem Orb is. That idiot and her hormones!"

"Just great," Morana said, planting her hands on her hips. "What now?"  
"We must hide," Mohan said. "We'll go underground until the Summoners finish Summoner Law off."

"But can they kill him?" Morana asked.

"They have no choice," Mohan said. He walked over to the farthest corner of the room and pressed a small section of the wall in. A rectangular shape of the floor shifted then slid open. They descended down the stairs and into the underground passage that no one else knew about. The floor slid back in place, concealing them from the outside world.

…

"So what do we do?" Jean Bart asked, his eyes and everyone else's falling to Neo.

"I never thought I'd actually have to be a captain," Neo mumbled. She pushed herself back to her feet and moved away from the mess she made.

"You've been one all along," Tero said. "Why doubt yourself now?"

"He's right," Penguin said. "You have been a captain all along. Just do what you've always done."

"All right," Neo said. "I think we need to go to Mount Zion. I know Law's there." She frowned. "And I think I sense Fatin there."

"Fatin?" Zoro asked. "Why would she be there?"

"Probably trying to seduce Law again," Sanji said.

"Let's get going," Luffy said. "Every minute we stand here is another minute they get closer to Tra."

Neo nodded and looked down at Luna.

The girl crossed her arms over her chest and said, "I'm not staying here. This is my fault. I'm helping."

"All right," Neo said. "Topaz, keep a close eye on her. Don't let anyone hurt her."

"I will." Topaz nodded.

Neo's eyes then flickered to Elek. She wanted to hate him and Bao. But she couldn't bring herself to do so, despite still being angry with them for keeping this secret. Swallowing, she said, "You're coming with us. We might need your help."

Elek nodded but didn't say a word.

Neo gathered them all up in her winds and flew as fast as she could to Mount Zion. Her heart clenched tight when she saw Law standing with Fatin on the edge of a cliff. Forcing it away, she reminded herself that Law wasn't himself right now. They landed. "Law!"

"You're too late, _Princess,_ " Fatin said, her eyes smiling with victory. "He's chosen me."

"You're delusional," Neo said.

"You're in denial," Fatin hissed back.

"Then have him kiss you." Neo crossed her arms over her chest. A twinge of pride flooded through her heart. The displeased look on Fatin's face was all she needed to see that Law never even touched her. She knew that Law would never betray her no matter if something else were in control of him. "Law?"

"He's no longer here," Law said in a deeper voice.

"Captain?" Bepo asked.

"Astral Orb!" Law called out.

"What are you doing?" Fatin asked.

"I summon the Summoner's Moon! Being it forth so my plans may continue!" Law shouted up to the sky. "Summoner's Moon Appear!"

"No! We're too late!" Luna gasped. The pirates looked at her to find she was looking up at the sky. Their eyes followed.

"What?!" Usopp shrieked upon seeing the enlarged moon descending from the dark sky above them. "What the heck is that?!"

"It's the Summoner's Moon. He called it forth without any practice. Amazing," Luna said, her and Elek's auras joining the others auras that shot into the sky. The auras gathered together and circled around the moon like a halo.

"That's so cool!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper shouted.

"Will you two be impressed later?!" Zoro shouted. "We have a problem here!"

"Just great," Elek said with a deep frown. His eyes were locked up on the moon and the auras in the sky. "I knew he was powerful, but to do this without practice?"

"What?!" Fatin whipped her eyes up to the sky. "That's not possible! The Summoner's Moon isn't supposed to come until tomorrow!"

"I can't believe how stupid you Council are," Luna said, earning a glare from Fatin. "Didn't you think that such a powerful Summoner _couldn't_ summon the Summoner's Moon? I'm surprised that you didn't force me into doing it long before now."

"Watch your mouth, you little runt!" Fatin said.

"It's the truth!" Luna said. "Or did you forget that a Astral Summoner can summon the Summoner's Moon while you've been busy pampering yourself, stealing other's lives so you could remain young and seduce men?"

"But he's not…" Fatin looked back over at Law. "No…we didn't…we're not…"

"Law is apparently stronger than we all thought he was," Luna said. "However, it's not really him who's really doing this. And I know you know who is."

Fatin's face went white. "It…it can't be."

"You know it is," Luna said. "I've been talking to the Mortem Orb. It told me everything that happened in the past."

"That's not possible," Fatin said, stumbling backwards. "You're…you're lying."

"Why do you think I quit training with you?" Luna asked. "I knew you were going to kill me after you tricked me into resealing the Mortem Orb back into the mountain."

"You little brat!" Fatin hissed. Her aura gathered around her. "You're going to pay for this!"

"No!" Neo boomed. She summoned all of her crystals. "You will not be allowed to touch her!"

Fatin backed off. She gripped her fists then took a step forward.

The pirates stood ready. But before a single attack could be unleashed, a loud crack snapped through the air. Their eyes snapped to the mountain. It rumbled. A crack appeared in it like a streak of lightning had fried into it like a tattoo. Black aura spilled out of it and over Law's body.

Law spread out his arms, accepting the aura completely.

"No, not again," Neo said. She watched helplessly as Law transformed. His eyes turned back with blue slits as he looked back at them. His blue aura turned completely black. The rapid beating of her heart, made her want to throw up. She was losing him again and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Tra!" Luffy called out. "Fight it! You have to fight it!"

"The one you use to know is no longer here," a voice from Law's mouth said.

"What happened?!" Shachi asked. "That was not the captain!"

"Tra! Fight it!" Luffy said again.

"Law's been taken over by the Mortem Orb!" Luna shouted over the now howling winds, her back tucked against Topaz's body as the Elemental held her close.

Fatin stepped back away from Law in an attempt to escape.

But Law's black and blue eyes snapped to her. Before a word could be spoken, he rushed forward and dug his aura sword into the Councilwoman's chest within a blink of the eye. A smirk spread across the captain's lips. The blood spilled out of the wound, coating the air with iron and her robe with red liquid just like he had imagined before. He loved the sight of it. He had the strong desire to lick the blood off of her. The woman coughed, blood spilled down her chin. Black aura then spewed from the wound and emerged together with the black aura around Law. Her eyes were widened with fear before becoming empty. She was dead. They all knew that. The Mortem Orb had taken its first victim. There were only two Council members left now.

"Oh great! What now?!" Nami asked, holding her baton tightly.

"We're not going to have to fight him, are we?" Franky asked. "Because I really, really don't want to fight the Surgeon of Death!"

"Are you insane?!" Penguin said. "How are we going to fight the captain?! We couldn't take him down on a good day! And now he's at the Mortem Orb controlling him!"

Neo gritted her teeth. Penguin was right. There was no way they could defeat Law, even with Luffy on their side. And now they were going up against the Mortem Orb. An orb they knew nothing about. An orb that was controlling her lover.

Law looked over at them.

Neo's heart skipped a beat. Law had to still be inside of there.

"Ah! He's looking at us!" Brook, Usopp, and Chopper screamed.

Neo walked forward.

"No! Neo!" Luffy shouted.

"What are you doing?! Come back!" Sanji said.

"Has she gone crazy?!" Zoro asked, wielding his swords.

"No," Jean Bart said. "She knows what she's doing. The captain will never hurt her. Not even when he's like this."

"The captain might not, but the captain is clearly not in control here," Penguin said.

"Neo! I'm coming!" Luffy said, taking a step forward.

"No!" Neo said, halting Luffy. "Just stay where you are!"

"Neo!" Luna called.

"It's okay, Luna," Neo said. "Just stay with Topaz." She continued forward until she was standing toe to toe with Law. Her stomach lurched when she met his eyes. "Law, I know you're in there. I can still feel you. You're not gone. You have to fight this."

Law's eyebrows lifted on his forehead as if he understood her.

Neo felt hopeful that she had reached him. But that quickly faded when Law grabbed her arms and sunk his fingernails into her skin through the hoodie she was wearing. She winced, but didn't try to pull away.

"Neo!" Luffy cried.

"Stay back!" Neo ordered.

Luffy gritted his teeth and clenched his hands.

"Law, please," Neo begged. "Come back to me."

"Listen, and listen well, Princess," the strange voice said from Law's mouth.

Neo bit her lip. Tears stung her eyes. Law was so close and yet so far away. This was what her nightmare was about. Law was still here, but he wasn't. "Law…"

"Your Law is no longer here," the voice said. "I am only here."

"Mortem! Stop!" Luna called out. "Please! Just let him go!"

"Stay out of this, Little One," the voice said. "Your words have been heard and rejected. I will continue with my revenge. Those other two will pay for what they did to me." He pulled back. Scanning his eyes over the pirates before continuing his way up the mountain.

Neo dropped to her knees. Tears fell from her eyes, darkening the ground beneath her. She gagged and placed a hand over her mouth.

"Neo," Luffy said kneeling down beside her with Penguin.

"I'm okay," Neo said, gasping for air. "I'm okay."

"What do we do now?" Topaz asked.

"There is nothing we can do," Luna said.

"But why would he go up the mountain when he said that he needed to kill those other two Council members?" Robin asked, looking up the side of the mountain.

"Because the Mortem Orb hasn't completely taken over Law yet," Luna said. She pointed to the dark aura still coming out of the mountainside. "See that? That's all the power of the Mortem Orb."

"That's all of its power?" Brook asked.

"So scary," Chopper said, shivering behind Sanji's leg.

"Does that mean we have a chance of getting to Law?" Sanji asked.

Luna parted her lips to answer but before she could get a word out, Neo screamed. She ran to the Elemental. "Neo?"

"Something…something's happening to Law," Neo said. She grabbed her head. Pain throbbed inside of it and her chest. "Our bond…I don't know. It feels like it's breaking."

"Is that possible?" Robin asked.

"I didn't think so," Topaz said. "But I have no idea what effect that an orb might have on the captain in this situation."

Neo screamed. All of her crystals appeared around her.

"What's happening?!" Penguin asked.

"Neo?!" Luffy grabbed her shoulders. "What's going on?!"

"I can't…I can't feel Law anymore," Neo said. Her entire body trembled. Her crystals engulfed her in their glow. Her eyes met with Penguin's hidden ones, they dimmed then closed.

Penguin felt his heart stop. His arms closed around his sister and pulled her to his chest when she collapsed.

"Neo!" Luna screamed.

"What just happened?" Shachi asked. "What happened to her?!"

"Neo," Bepo murmured.

"I think…I think she might have put herself in a coma to protect her and the captain's bond," Topaz said, her own body trembling. She felt like she was going to be sick. She placed her fingers on the pulse in Neo's neck. "She's still alive and breathing."

"Is that even possible? Maybe we should ask an older Elemental," Luffy said.

"It won't do any good," Topaz said. "Remember bonding is extremely rare. And Neo and the captain's case it's even more rare. An older Elemental wouldn't know anymore than we do."

"But we have to do _something_!" Luffy shouted. No one answered. They had no clue what they could or should do.

Thunder boomed overhead.

"We have to get out of here," Tero said.

The mountain cracked and crumbled. The dark aura finally exited the mountain completely, it trailed up the side, going to Law.

"How?!" Usopp shrieked. "The whole mountain is going to fall down on us!"

"Hey!" two familiar voices cried out.

"It's the twins," Brook said.

"We're saved!" Usopp cried, tears pouring down his cheeks.

"Princess!" the twins shouted. They then spotted the dead Councilwoman on the ground. "Fatin?! What the heck happened here?!"

"We don't have time to explain!" Luffy said. "We need to get out of here! Take us back to the apartments!"

"Okay!" The twins nodded and lifted the pirates into the air, flying them back to the apartments within seconds.

"It's a good thing you showed up when you did," Sanji said.

"Why did you come?" Zoro asked.

"Because we saw the moon," Aura said. "And we thought you should know, if you didn't already, that the Council has ordered Summoner Law to be killed if he can't be subdued."

"What?!" the pirates yelled.

"The entire island is in a state of panic," Era added. "We've been trying to get to the Council and talk to them but they've seemed to disappear after issuing Summoner Law's death and having everyone stay inside. Mom and grandpa were worried about the princess and asked us to come check on her. But what happened to Fatin? Why is she dead?" Her eyes went to Neo in Penguin's arms. Neo's body was flashing each color of her crystals. "And why is the princess glowing like that?"

Topaz took a deep breath and told them everything.

The twins' mouths hung open. Their eyes dropped to Luna. Era said, "You knew about all of this?"

"Why didn't you say something?" Aura asked.

"I did!" Luna snapped. "But _you people_ wouldn't believe me!"

"Don't fight!" Penguin said before anymore heated words could be shared. "We have bigger problems right now!"

"He's right," Shachi said. "We need to focus on getting the captain back."

"But how?" Elek asked.

Topaz ran her hand through her hair. "The only way we have a shot at that is Neo."

"But she's not conscious," Chopper said. "How do we even wake her up? If this is really because of their bond then that means her magic is involved."

"I know!" Luffy shouted. "Shanks can help!"

"Luffy, this is serious," Usopp said, crossing his arms. "We don't need any of your silly ideas."

"Wait he's right," Sanji said.

"Huh?" Usopp looked at the cook in disbelief.

"Red Haired Shanks is also bonded with Neo," Sanji said. "If anyone can pull her out of this then he can."

"But how do we get to him?" Nami asked.

"The twins, of course," Robin said. "They can fly on the wind."

"But how do we even know where he is?" Elek asked. "He could be anywhere."

"He's at Rocky Cliff Island," Robin said. "That's about a two week ship ride from here."

"How do you know that?" Elek asked.

"He was mentioned in yesterday's paper," Robin said. "Even if he's left the island he should be close."

"It's possible we could find him," Aura said.

"We'll be using a lot of our magic to get him here in time," Era added.

"Neo told me that there were some Elementals traveling with him right now," Robin said. "You should be able to sense them when you're close enough."

The twins nodded.

"How fast can you fly and get him here?" Usopp asked.

"Oh don't worry," Aura said. "We can get him here by tomorrow morning."

"That soon?" Usopp tilted his head, clearly not believing them.

"We can," the twins said, sounding offended by the pirate's doubt.

"I can fly us half the time," Era said.

"Then I can take over," Aura said. "Rotating back and forth will give us double the power. We can also take a few extra wind Elementals to help. That will make the trip even faster. If we find him quick enough it should take us only a few hours to get back."

"Then get some more Elementals and go," Topaz said.

"Shouldn't someone go with them?" Chopper asked. "Just in case Neo's godfather has doubts?"

"I'll go," Luffy said. "Shanks knows me better than anyone else here."

"All right," Topaz said. "Just hurry up. We'll see if we can figure out how to get out of this mess."

"All right." The twins nodded. "We'll bring Shanks here as soon as we can."

"Take care of Neo!" Luffy ordered as the twins pulled him into the air.

"So what now?" Bepo asked.

"There's no way we can take down the captain and I don't think we should even try," Shachi said.

"We should just wait for Shanks to arrive," Sanji said. "As already stated, we can't do anything without Neo."

"But she won't be willing to fight the captain when she does wake up," Penguin said.

"Maybe Red Hair can do something about that," Shachi said.

"So all we can now do is wait," Robin said. "And hope that not many die in the process of trying to detain Tra."

"Why must you be so calm right now?!" Usopp shouted.

"We should at least try and stop the Summoners from going after Tra," Nami said. "They're just going to die pointlessly."

"Fine," Sanji said. "I don't really want to stay standing still here while we wait to see what happens."

"I'll fine Bao and inform him of what's going on," Elek said. "Though I doubt the Summoners will listen to us, we should still try to convince them of what Luna has told us."

With a nod of agreements most of the pirates headed off towards the town while the rest stayed behind to watch over Neo. Penguin laid Neo down on one of the couches under the pavilion. He stayed right by her side and waited for the painfully slow minutes to tick by. He hoped and prayed that Shanks would be able to help her.

…

Luffy felt his pulse thundering under his skin. He was so worried about Neo that he thought he was going to be sick himself. It felt like time had slow to a painful crawl no matter how fast the twins flew towards the town. But finally they had made it. The twins spoke to four other wind Elementals. After a quick discussion with them, they flew into the air and angled towards the north. He looked back over his shoulder at Zion as it faded away from them. He hated that he was leaving his friend behind like this, but he knew that this was what he needed to do. So he forced himself to turn forwards again. He hoped and prayed that these Elementals would get him to Shanks' ship as soon as possible.

…

Shanks was standing at the stern of his ship. The wind whipped his cape and his hair as his eyes locked into the south. He knew something was wrong. He could feel it. Something happened to Neo, his beloved goddaughter was in trouble. He knew for certain that something happened when he reached out for her two hours ago and she hasn't called for him then suddenly it felt like she was no longer in existence. He knew she wasn't dead, she was just gone, vanished.

"Captain?" Benn asked from behind him.

Shanks closed his eyes and took a breath in and slowly let it out. The whole crew knew that something was wrong. He knew they felt it from the way he was acting. And he knew that they knew it had something to do with Neo.

"Captain, we're ready to set sail," Benn said.

"Then lets go," Shanks said after a moment of silence. "We're heading for Zion. Set sail immediately and have the Elementals assist us in getting to Zion as fast as we can."

"Aye aye, Captain," Benn said then walked away.

"Neo, just hold on," Shanks said to the wind. "I'm coming. I'll be there soon."

The ship moved against the wind thanks to the wind Elementals the man had on board his ship at the time. It didn't take them long at all before they were heading with striking speed towards Zion with the route the navigator has previously marked out thanks to Neo telling him what was going on with her crew. And Shanks was so glad that she had. If she didn't, he wouldn't have a clue where she even was. And he would have been in a bigger wreck than he already was of not knowing what was happening with his goddaughter. If only they could be there already. If only he had some clue as to what was happening. Was it Neo that was in danger? Or was it Trafalgar that was in danger therefore putting her in danger as well due to their bond? It was torture to not know which it was. But then it didn't really matter. Either way Neo was in trouble and she needed him. Turning around, he headed back to the front of the ship to prepare his men for whatever might come their way. He just wished he knew what they were preparing for. Once his feet hit the deck, a loud familiar voice shouted out to him.

"Shanks!"

"Was that Luffy?" Lucky Roo asked, his eyes jumped to the sky.

"It is Luffy," Benn said, his eyes looking into the sky as well. "And he has some Elementals with him."

"Shanks!" Luffy said again before they landed on the deck. "Neo's in trouble!"

"I figured that out already," Shanks said. "We're heading to Zion right now."

"We have to hurry!" Luffy said.

"Calm down, Luffy," Shanks said placing his hand on the teen's shoulder. "We'll be there soon. I have a dozen wind Elementals on the ship right now. Just tell me what happened."

Luffy nodded then began to tell the man and his crew what happened on Zion.

"She's in a coma?" Benn asked.

Shanks felt like the wind had got knocked out of his upon hearing how bad it really was. He pinched the bridge of his nose then said, "Okay. I might be able to do something with our bond. But I won't know until we get there."

"Then let's hurry up!" Luffy said.

"You heard him!" Shanks said to the Elementals. "Let's get there as soon as we can!"

"Yes, sir!" the Elementals said before the pirates rolled up the sails. With them out of the way, they were freer to move faster than they were before.

The pirates headed inside so they didn't get flow off from the fast moving ship. Gathering together in the galley until it was safe to go back out onto the deck.

The trip back to Zion was just as slow as getting to Shanks ship despite all of the Elementals flying the ship to the island. Luffy was bobbing his legs rapidly and in annoyance. No one stopped him or said anything. They knew how worried he was. They all were worried as well. So they just sat and stared off in thick silence until an Elemental come to tell them they had arrived at Zion.

They arrived only three hours after Luffy and his Elemental team left. Gathering the pirates in their winds, the Elementals followed Aura and Era to where Neo was. They found them right where they were left, outside of the apartment. Neo had been laid down on one of the couches that had been moved under the roof of the pavilion.

…

Upon seeing the older pirate crew arrive, the younger ones stiffened up at the power they held despite known that in this moment they were all on the same side. They were all on Neo's side. And they all wanted her back. They moved out of the way as the Emperor walked closer to them.

Swallowing hard, Penguin walked over to the red haired man. He said, "Please, you have to help her."

"I'll do what I can." Shanks walked over to Neo. He knelt down and placed his had on her forehead. "Neo? Can you hear me?"

No response.

"Can you help her?" Luna asked. The girl was kneeling by the arm of the couch.

"I don't know," Shanks said. He smiled gently when Luna's face grew sad and tears gathered at the corner of her eyes. He placed his hand on her head. "So, you're Luna. Luffy told me about you."

"Do you hate me?" Luna asked, unable to keep his gaze on hers.

"No," Shanks said. "You did nothing wrong." He then turned his eyes back to Neo. Thinking hard and fast, he could only come up with one solution. He had to get her to their dream world. But could he do that on his own? Could he pull her mind to that world without causing any damage?

…

 **Author Notes: I think I pushed this one a bit quick.**

 **Blue3sky2: Glad you like it so much. I guess a week can seem like a long time when you really enjoy something.**

 **Guest: The Summoner powers don't get passed down bloodlines. She/he would only be born with Elemental magic. An Elemental/human hybrid would be a bit weaker than a fullblooded Elemental. They can choose to be a Summoner if they want but how strong they are depends on the individual themselves.**


	21. Trapped Inside

Trapped Inside

Angry was an understatement, a huge, huge understatement. Shanks didn't have a word that would fit how angry he was feel right now. It nearly killed him to see his goddaughter laying there unconscious, in a coma. This could have been avoided if only the morons of Zion had listened to Luna. This could have been avoided if only the morons of Zion had told his goddaughter the truth of things going on here. But now wasn't the time for thinking of how angry he was or how he wanted to make the Summoners pay for what they did. Now was the time for him to try and bring their beloved princess back.

Shanks closed his eyes. He searched. He wasn't sure exactly for what. He just looked. Looking for Neo, for guidance on where to find her. A few gasps and murmurs rolled through the pirates around him. But he didn't open his eyes and look at them. He could figure that they were seeing an aura around him. Neo's aura that he got from their bond. Then it happened. His mind went to their dream world.

 _Shanks wasn't surprised when he arrived to a mess within their dream world. Neo's world had flipped upside down. So of course her mind would have been as well. And he was inside of her mind. Her really messed up mind. The island they always gathered at was hanging upside down over his head. Images of her past was floating passed him but not as they really were. All of the people that had hurt her were dressed in bizarre outfits. Some were riding on one wheeled bikes, some walking on their hands, while others were trying to run through the air. The Polar Tang swam by him as if it was a real fish. Luffy slowly walked passed him, his limbs all stretched out and long. Several others of the Straw Hats and Heart Pirates appeared looking disfigured or colored in ways that were not true._

 _Shanks shook his head. Refocusing his mind, he forced himself to look passed all of this weirdness and for Neo. He could feel her presence all over the place. She was here somewhere. He just now had to find her. He walked forward. More of her past gathered near him then floated away. He tried to think. Where would she be? Where was the safest place in her mind? With Law. But where would Law be here?_

 _After what felt like hours of walking, Shanks paused. He sat down on a log that appeared and pinched his nose. "This is crazy. I knew Neo would be messed up if something happened to Trafalgar, but this is just too much."_

 _Then through the strangeness, he heard a small cry. He lifted his eyes. He heard it again. "Neo?"_

 _Shanks pushed himself to his feet, the log disappearing. He walked forward. Things started to change again. He was, or he assumed he was, inside of the Polar Tang. But this place had crystals growing inside of it. No, that wasn't right. Nothing was growing inside of here. The Polar Tang was merged with Luminous. He recognized the crystals from the island. Neo's mind had mixed the two places together. The home of her birth and the home she lived in. It was fitting. Both were special to her after all._

 _The soft cry came to him again. He had no idea of the lay out of the sub so he wasn't sure where he was. But when he turned into the room the cries were coming from, he knew where he was. He was in Neo and Trafalgar's bedroom. And Neo was curled up on the corner of the bed. Her body was the size of a child. She was a child. A scared little child that didn't understand anything that was going on around her. With no hesitation, he walked over to the bed and sat down. He called softly to her, "Neo?"_

 _With a gasp, she looked up at him. "Who…who are you?"_

 _Shanks heart broke. He never expected her to ask him that. She was more damaged than he thought. He forced a smile onto his lips. "It's all right, Neo. I'm here to help you."_

" _You…you are?" she asked._

" _I am." He nodded._

" _You can't," she said. "It's broken."_

" _What's broken?" Shanks asked. He waited patiently for her to speak._

" _This." Neo lifted up. There in her hands was a heart. A white heart with black spots on it was cracked in half._

 _Shanks own heart took a sharp beat. Somehow he knew it was the heart that represented Neo's bond with Trafalgar. When that thing took him over, this must have been the affect of it. But what happened to Trafalgar? How could this have affected their bond? He needed to get to the young pirate. He needed to get them back together. And if he could come into Neo's mind like this, then he should be able to get into Trafalgar's mind as well. That was the only way things were going to be fixed._

" _Neo, I need you to come with me," Shanks said._

" _Neo?" She tilted her head._

" _That's right. That's your name," Shanks said with a nod._

" _I don't remember," Neo said. "I don't remember anything."_

" _I know," Shanks said. "And that's all right."_

" _I'm broken," she said._

" _No, you're not…" Shanks voice trailed of. She was right. She was broken. And Trafalgar was the only one who could fix her. He exhaled. "I know you're broken. But Trafalgar can fix you."_

" _Trafalgar." Neo said the name like she was tasting it on her tongue._

 _Shanks saw a small sparkle of life. "Yes, that's right. Trafalgar Law. He's your husband and your bonded."_

" _My husband, my bonded," Neo said._

 _Shanks eyes widened when Neo's body grew into a teenager then into her adult self. "That's right. Do you remember?"_

" _No," Neo said sadly. She held up the broken heart. "Broken. We're broken. We need to be…fixed."_

" _And you will be," Shanks said. "I promise. But we need to go to Trafalgar. We need to go to Law."_

" _Law," Neo said, tears dripped from her eyes. "We need to go to Law."_

" _Will you come with me?" Shanks waited for her to reply. Slowly, she nodded. "Then let's go."_

 _Neo looked at his outreached hand before slowly placing her hand in his. A bright flash of light filled the area._

"Huh?" Shanks blinked when he realized he was back in the real world.

"Did it work?" He heard Usopp asked.

"I'm not sure," someone else said.

"Captain?" Benn asked.

"I'm fine," Shanks said, his eyes dropping to Neo's still sleeping form. His heart sank. He thought he had really found her and brought her back. Then her eyelids parted and she looked at him with dull grey eyes.

"Neo!" Penguin gasped.

"Who…are you?" Neo asked, shocking them all.

"What? What are you saying?" Penguin asked. "It's me. Penguin."

"Penguin," Neo said, the name unfamiliar on her lips.

"I think her bond with Trafalgar was really broken," Shanks said then filled them all in on what he saw.

"She doesn't remember," Luna whispered.

"She'll be fine, Luna," Topaz said slipping her arm around her.

"All she has to do is see Trafalgar," Shanks said while Topaz comforted the girl.

"You sure that'll work?" Benn asked.

"It has to," Shanks said. "And I believe we need to go into Trafalgar's mind for that to happen."

"But how?" Sanji asked. "You know he, or that orb, isn't going to let us get anywhere near him."

"I don't think we have to get close at all," Shanks said. "Neo and Trafalgar's bond is far greater than mine is with her. She should be able to get into his mind from here."

"It might be possible that Law's animal guardian can help with that too," Luna said.

"Why?" Usopp asked.

"Because that's basically where the auras and our connection to our guardians are stored, in the mind," Luna said. "And Neo and Law's bond is all encompassing of their minds and bodies, or so I assume. It shouldn't be hard at all for Neo to go into Law's mind and see what's happening in there. And I'm going with her."

"Are you kidding? How do you think you can get into Tra's mind?" Franky asked.

"I don't know," Luna said. "But we have to try. I need to talk to the Mortem Orb. I might be able to talk it out of this."

"Yeah, like it was listening to you before," Usopp said.

"I have to try," Luna said. "The orbs aren't evil. It was the Council that screwed everything up."

"But how can she take you?" Shanks asked.

"I might be able to link my aura up with the aura of Law's that's inside of Neo," Luna said. "And you should be able to come as well since you're bonded to her through her magic."

"Sounds like a long shot," Lucky Roo said.

"It's the only one we have," Luna said.

"Have you heard of anything else going on in town?" Shanks asked.

"The Summoners are trying to stop the captain," Bepo reported. "There's been some causalities but no reported deaths yet."

"It's possible that the captain is still trying to maintain some control over the Mortem Orb," Jean Bart said.

"That wouldn't be needed if the Summoners would just leave him alone," Tero said. "It's obvious that the Mortem Orb is going after the Council. They were the ones who sealed it. They are the ones that it wants revenge on."

"It sounds like the Summoners just aren't going to listen," Shachi said.

"We'll have to make then listen," Penguin said. "We could use the Elementals to hold them down. There's no need for them to risk their lives like this. It's just stupid."

"So what do we do?" Nami asked.

"We have the Elementals pin them down," Penguin said. "That's the only way we can stop an unnecessary blood bath."

"All right then," Topaz said. "Those with transponder snail call up the crew and alert them to this plan." She turned to the Elementals that were still with them. "You all come with me. We'll do what we can to organize as many Elementals as we can."

The Elementals nodded and took to the air with Topaz in their wind.

"I feel completely useless," Zoro said. "I want to fight."

"There's no point in fighting," Luffy said. "This one is just one we're going to have to sit out. We only fight if we have to. Understand?"  
"Yeah," the Straw Hats said with a nod.

"The same orders go to you all," Shanks said looking at his own crew and Neo's.

"Hey, you're not our captain," Shachi said.

"No, but I am Neo's godfather," Shanks said. "And she'd kill me if I let anyone of you get hurt."

"He's right," Penguin said. "Those would be the orders Neo and the captain would give us if they were here." His looked back down to Neo. His heart ached at the emptiness he saw in her dull grey eyes. "So what do we do now? Will she be able to go into the captain's mind?"

"I believe she can," Shanks said. He placed his hand on hers when she sat up. Her eyes locked onto his. "Neo, I need you to listen to me. Do you understand?"  
Neo nodded.

"Okay," Shanks continued. "We're going to fix you, but to do that we need to go into Trafalgar's mind, into Law's mind. Can you take us there?"

"I don't…know," Neo whispered. "Law…he's my husband, my bonded…"

"He is." Shanks nodded. "I need you to focus. Focus and take me and Luna into Law's mind."

"Law's mind," Neo said.

"Come on, Neo," Bepo whispered.

"You can do it," Shachi added.

Neo looked around at the people surrounding her. They felt oddly familiar to her, but she didn't know why. Her eyes fell back upon the red haired man in front of her. He too felt familiar. She knew she could trust him. She could trust them all. Her eyes closed. Not knowing what she was doing, she did it anyway. She searched out for the one who could fix her. Her body started to glow its typical pure white. The white aura spread over Shanks and Luna's bodies.

…

 _"Are you all right, Cub?" a familiar voice said through the pounding in Law's head. "Can you hear me now?"_

 _"What?" Law opened his eyes. They widened at the sight that he saw. He was no longer on Zion. He was…he didn't know where he was. The space he was in was a mix of dark blue and black. Nothing else could be seen. Except when his dropped his eyes to his right. Seal was right beside him, being chained down by his legs with solid black chains. He tried to move closer to his guardian but found that he couldn't. That's when he noticed that he too was bond by black chains. His arms were spread out to his sides and his legs were dangling blow him, but he didn't feel like there was any pressure on his body. "What happened? Where are we?"_

 _"We are inside of your mind, Cub," Seal said. "Do you not remember what happened?"_

 _"I'm not sure." Law closed his eyes. He tried to remember what happened but his mind was a buzz of fuzziness. "I was…training. Then something happened. I got into a real fight with Charger. And…I don't know. Everything went black after that."_

 _"The Mortem Orb took over," Seal said._

 _"What?" Law looked down at Seal._

 _"The Mortem Orb has been trying to take over your body," Seal said. "I am sorry. I could not stop it."_

 _"The Mortem Orb?" Law questioned. "How is that possible?"_

 _"I am not sure," Seal said. "But I think these orbs are, somehow, alive."_

 _"They're alive?" Law whispered. Suddenly, a strange, yet familiar, presence appeared in the area. He narrowed his eyebrow, looking around for what it was. Then it manifest in front of him. His eyes widened. It was the shadow that had been running around in his and Neo's mind. The shadow from Neo's nightmare was standing right in front of him. "You…"_

 _"That is correct, Summoner," the shadow said. It smiled, or Law thought it smiled. Since the thing's body was completely black it was hard to tell. But from its solid red eyes, he could see joy behind them. "I am the thing that you and your lover has been seeing. Thank you so much for the use of your body."_

 _"Why are you doing this?" Law asked._

 _"For revenge," it said._

 _"Revenge? On who?" Law asked._

 _"On the ones who sealed me inside of that retched mountain," it said. "Well, I should say from the other two who sealed me inside of that retched mountain as one of them is already dead."_

 _"Who died?" Law asked. "Who did you kill?"  
"Fatin," it said._

 _Law's brow drew together. The young Councilwoman was dead? How long had he been out of it? "Neo. What did you do to Neo?"  
"I did nothing to her," the creature said. "But I do believe something is happening to her." It snapped its fingers._

 _Law then saw it. He could see back out into the world. He saw Fatin's dead body on the ground. He turned to Neo and everyone that was with her. His body tried to move towards her, to hold her, but he couldn't. He had no control over his body at all. The chains jingled as he tried to move. Then she was moving towards him. "Neo!"_

 _She didn't hear him. She just kept walking closer to him despite Straw Hat and the other's warning her to stay way. "Listen to them, Neo! I'm not in control!"_

 _Law gritted his teeth upon the image he saw through his own eyes. He felt betrayed as his own hands reached up and gripped her arms, hard. She winced. "Stop it! Stop it, Mortem! Don't you dare hurt her! I'll kill you if you do!"_

 _"Says the one who's chained up," Mortem's voice said._

 _Law looked around, desperate to find the thing that was hurting his love that seemed to have disappeared. But he couldn't find it. All he found was Neo's sad and hurt eyes. Neo was hurting. His stomach took a violent turn. He felt like he was going to be sick. He didn't even try to stop the gag that came up from his throat when Mortem warned Neo to stay away with his voice._ _His_ _voice that Neo was use to hearing soothing her through one of her fears was now telling her to stay away from him. He held out his hand to try and warp of out his bindings. It didn't work. He hissed, "Mortem! Leave her alone! Right! Now!"_

 _He saw his hands fall from Neo's arms. Then he was rushing up the side of the mountain. Rage burned inside of him. He could feel her drifting farther and farther away. Or maybe he was the one drifting away. He wasn't sure. All he knew was his connection with Neo was becoming harder and harder to sense. And there was nothing he could do about it. He pulled against the dark chains holding him inside of his mind again. They didn't budge. He thought that this was so stupid. How could a stupid orb control him like this? How could he possibly be trapped inside of his own mind? He needed to get to her but knew he couldn't. He couldn't even reach out to her through their bond. What had the orb done to him? Why couldn't he reach her? "What's happening? Why can't I reach her? Why is it hard to sense her?"_

 _"The bond you have with her?" The creature reappeared in front of him._

 _"Yes, you…" Law paused. He had no idea what to call this creature. It kind of looked like a mix of a shadow and gargoyle. Maybe it was both. This thing was, sort of, death. And death could look like anyone or anything. Couldn't it?_

 _"Just call me Mortem," it said._

 _"Fine, Mortem," Law said._

 _"I can only assume what's happening," Mortem said._

 _"Then give me your best guess," Law hissed._

 _"Very well then," Mortem said. "I assume that since I took over your mind and body my control over death had put up some block between you two. Or maybe because I have you here like this. You're not in control now. Maybe that has something to do with it?"_

 _"Let me go," Law said._

 _"I cannot," Mortem said. "I already told you that. I will not release you until I have taken my revenge against those Council people."_

 _"But why me?" Law asked. "Why not use someone else who's had more training than I have at being a Summoner?"_

 _"Other's might have had more experience than you, but they are still not strong enough to handle all of my power," Mortem said. "There's a different, stronger, type of aura surrounding you. It might have to do with all the death that has plagued you your whole life."_

 _Law flinched at the thought of his home being destroyed. What the Mortem Orb said made a little sense to him._

 _"Or it might have something to do with the other power inside of you," Mortem said. "Either way you're the only one I can use. So I'm using you."_

 _Law growled. He hated being told what to do. This was way worse than that. Not only was he being told what was going to happen, he was being forced into doing it. The chains jingled once again when he tried to free himself._

"Summoner Law!"

 _"Huh?" Law looked up. He could see several Summoners coming towards him. Among them were his trainers, except for Charger. He wondered how bad he, no, how bad Mortem beat him up. Was the man still alive? He couldn't remember what he, Mortem, had done. He vaguely recalled feeling really angry and the smell of blood. And that meant someone threatened Neo. But that was all he could recall. He looked down at Seal. "Do you know what happened when he took over? I was fighting Charger."_

 _"I do not know," Seal said. "He trapped me before I knew what happened. I am sorry, Cub." He lowered his head. "I failed to protect you, your lover, and your own cub."_

 _"Don't feel bad," Law said. "It wasn't your fault. We all were in over our heads here." He looked around his surroundings. "Quite literally it seems."_

"Summoner Law," Zip said. "You need to stop this. Please, let us take you back. If not, we're going to have to kill you."

 _"Oh dear," Mortem said. "That will not do at all."_

 _"Wait! Where are you going?!" Law asked when the creature started disappearing._

 _"I cannot allow them to take you or kill you. So I will dispose of them before that happens," Mortem said before disappearing._

 _Law felt extremely helpless as he watched Mortem use his body to fight against the Summoners that were coming after him. Surprisingly, Mortem wasn't using his voice to call upon summons. That could only mean that it didn't have to say anything. Which did make a bit of sense considering Mortem was the Mortem Orb. So it was faster than the Summoners were in summons and movements. They still had to call upon the summons to use their powers. He just hoped that his crew wouldn't try to stop him. He had no idea what the orb would do to them. Closing his eyes, he willed his desire for his crew to stay away from him. He hoped they would. Since he was no longer in control then he, the orb, would hurt Neo or someone else they both loved._

 _With nothing else to do, he just hung back and watched his body fighting against the Summoners. They didn't stand a chance. He had no idea what moves Mortem was using but it was clear that the other Summoners were not strong enough to handle it. Dark shadows gathered around the Summoners' bodies. When it vanished they dropped to the ground, exhausted and unable to move. He felt a bit relieved when it looked like the Mortem Orb wasn't killing anyone else. Then he had to wonder how much of this strength belong to it and how much belong to him. So far the Mortem Orb didn't appear to have access to his Devil Fruit powers. But that didn't mean that it couldn't still use it._

 _Law hated this. He wasn't for killing or hurting the innocent. And it looked like the Mortem Orb might possibly kill anyone who gets in its way of finding the other two Councilmembers if it couldn't immobilize them first. Though he was more worried about Neo. Something was happening to her. He could feel it. It hurt so much that he couldn't tell what was going on with her. "Seal, can you get to Neo like that?"  
"I cannot," Seal said. "I am very sorry."_

 _"It's fine," Law said. "I know she'll be fine. She's with the crew after all. They'll take care of her."_

 _"Indeed," Seal said._

 _Law closed his eyes and tried to focus on Neo instead of the fight he couldn't control. He felt her drifting farther and farther away from him until she appeared to disappear all together. His jaw began to ache with how hard he was clenching his teeth. Then, suddenly, he felt oddly better. Something about Neo had changed. Looking up, he checked to see what was going on in the world around him. The Mortem Orb was still working its way through the Summoners._

 _Closing his eyes, he once again felt Neo's presence. But there was something else he could sense. Something that felt similar to their bond. He couldn't figure out what until he remembered that the Emperor Red Haired Shanks was bonded with her. And the man had said he was going to plot a course to Zion in case something had happened. Well, something did happen. But how did the man get here so fast? Elementals. That's right. They were on his ship and on the island. With them on their side, it wouldn't take the Emperor long at all to get here. He relaxed. With that man near Neo now she would be all right. "Neo…"_

 _"What about her, Cub?" Seal asked. "Did something happen to her?"_

 _"She's better now," Law said. "Her godfather, Red Haired Shanks is here. She's bonded to him as well. Not as close to me though, but he will help her. And maybe they can help us."_

 _"What do you mean?" Seal asked._

 _"If I'm trapped in here then Neo should be able to come and free us," Law said._

 _"That is good to hear," Seal said. "I have an itch behind my right ear that I would love to scratch."_

…

 _Neo opened her eyes to a black and dark blue void. Something was familiar about it. She had been here before, or so she thought. She just couldn't recall why or when that had happened. Then she felt something else that was familiar. "That presence is…"_

 _"It should be Trafalgar that you're sensing."_

 _Neo turned her eyes to the voice that had spoke beside her. She blinked. "Godfather…"_

 _"Do you remember now?" Shanks asked._

 _"No, not really," Neo said. "I just know who you are. I'm sorry."_

 _"It's all right," Shanks said. He stroked her hair a couple times before pulling her into his side. "We'll get you to Law and you'll be better again."_

 _"Will she really?" Luna asked._

 _Neo turned her eyes down to the girl on her other side. Another one that looked and felt familiar. "Luna…"_

 _"That's right." Luna nodded. "I'm Luna."_

 _"You're Luna," Neo said with a nod of her own. "And this place…it's Trafalgar's…it's Law's. He's here. Somewhere."_

 _"Somewhere is right," Shanks said, looking around the void. "Neo, you need to try and sense where Trafalgar is."_

 _"Find him. Find Law," Neo muttered. She slowly scanned the area around her. A soft sigh was on her lips just before it was cut off short. She pointed out in front of her. "That way. I can feel something in that direction."_

 _They started walking._

 _"So," Shanks said, "you seem to like Neo a lot."_

 _"I do." Luna nodded. "She helped me. She's like me. I was treated like a freak as well."_

 _"I see," Shanks said. "I'm sorry you had a hard life. I know you'll never be treated like that with Neo around."_

 _"Yeah." Luna nodded. "She offered me a place on their sub when they leave."_

 _"Oh?"_

 _"My grandfather died recently," Luna explained. "I have no other family here. And I have no friends I could stay with."_

 _"Are you going to leave here then?" Shanks asked._

 _"I don't know," Luna said. "Maybe."_

 _"Well, you'll be choosing a good family to live with," Shanks said._

 _"Family, huh?" Luna mumbled. She liked the thought of that. And she would have a big one. She would never be lonely ever again. She wouldn't be treated like a freak ever again._

 _Just then Neo picked up her pace until she broke into a run._

 _"Looks like we're close," Shanks said. He and Luna ran to catch up with Neo. They ran for a few seconds more before two light colored spots appeared in the distance._

 _"I think that's Law!" Luna said._

 _"What's that other thing?" Shanks asked upon seeing Seal._

 _"That's Law's guardian," Luna said. "All of us Summoners have one. Mine's a bat."_

 _"I guess that explains the bat ears," Shanks said, glancing at the ears on top of Luna's head._

 _"Yeah," Luna said. "It's kind of a long story. Once which we don't have time for right now."_

 _"Understood." Shanks nodded._

 _Neo didn't hear a word they said. Her feet just continued to carry her forward until she was standing in front of him. Her eyebrows drew together in confusion as she stared into his familiar steel colored eyes._

 _"Neo," Law said. He could easily see her mind was blank and confused. Her grey eyes didn't help anything either. They were a reminder of what happened to her long ago. He wanted to see her electric blue eyes. "What has that thing done to you?"_

 _"You…" Neo tilted her head. Suddenly, her eyes snapped back to their original electric blue. She flung herself forward and wrapped her arms around Law's neck. Tears poured down her cheeks. "Law! I was so scared! I couldn't sense you anymore!"_

 _"I know, love," Law said, nuzzling into her hair as much as he possibly could. Noticing for the first time that this place didn't hold any kind of scent. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to let that thing take control of me."_

 _"I'm just glad you're all right." Neo pulled back from him and captured his lips in a searing hot kiss._

 _"Don't mind us," Shanks said after giving them a few minutes to kiss._

 _Luna smiled and rolled her eyes. "That I will never get use to."_

 _"So what happened here?" Shanks asked._

 _"Mortem took me over." Law frowned. "Do you think I volunteered to be chained up like this?"_

 _"At least you're still spunky," Shanks said. He stepped forward to examine the chains that bond his goddaughter's love into seemingly nothing. "Interesting. I wonder how this works."_

 _"So do I," Law said. "But I don't think we're going to get answers. The Mortem Orb is on a mission of revenge."_

 _"We know," Neo said. "Luna told us everything." She looked down at Seal. "You too?"_

 _"Yes, Cub," Seal said. "Would you do me the favor of scratching behind my right ear? It's been bothering for some time now."_

 _"Of course." Neo stepped over to him, but kept a hold of Law' shirt with her free hand. She scratched behind his ear, earning a graceful purr in a thankful response._

 _"That's so much better," Seal said. "Thank you, Cub."_

 _Neo nodded then tucked herself back into Law's chest._

 _"So what do you know about all of this?" Law looked at Luna and tucked Neo's head under his chin._

 _Luna took a deep breath and told him what he had told the others. "I'm sorry. I know I should have told you."_

 _"Don't worry about it," Law said. "It wasn't your fault."_

" _How do we get you out of here?" Neo asked. Her eyes drifted to the chains on her lover._

" _I think the Mortem Orb is the only way out of these things," Law said. "My Devil Fruit powers were useless against it."_

" _I see," Neo said. Her eyes locked onto his. "Where is it?"_

" _I'm not sure," Law said. "But it's using my body to fight the Summoners until it can find the Council."_

" _The others are working on getting the Summoners to leave you alone," Shanks said. "They're going to have the Elementals pin them down."_

" _That's good." Law nodded. "At least that way no deaths will happen."_

" _We need to find the Mortem Orb," Luna said, looking around. "I can feel that it's here."_

" _It is," Law said. "I'm just not sure where exactly. It's like it's all over the place."_

" _Mortem!" Luna cupped her mouth and called out into the semidarkness that surrounded them. "Come on! Come talk to us! Mortem! Please! Show yourself! I'll keep yelling if you don't! And I'll personally kick your tail when I do find you!"_

" _Well, isn't she the spunky one," Shanks said._

" _She is." Neo smiled, almost proudly._

" _Mortem! Mortem! Mortem!" Luna chanted._

" _All right," a voice said. The shadow creature appeared in front of the pirates. "I am here. You do not have to keep yelling like that."_

" _It worked, didn't it?" Luna crossed her arms and smiled._

" _So this is the thing that's been bothering my goddaughter," Shanks said, eyeing the shadow creature in front of him. "Interesting thing these Summoner orbs. Do they all have bodies like yours?"_

" _That they do," Mortem said. "We are both pure energy and the life force of what we represent."_

" _I never would have guess such a thing existed," Shanks said._

" _And you are?" Mortem eyed the red haired pirate._

" _Shanks," Shanks replied with a nod. "I am one of the Four Emperors of the sea, and more importantly, Neo's godfather." He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. "And I am not happy with what you have done to her and the young surgeon."_

" _I assume you are talking of their bond and the nightmares?" Mortem asked._

" _I am." Shanks nodded. "And locking him up in here like this."_

" _I did not know that would happen to them," Mortem said. "The nightmares, I mean."_

" _Did you have an influence on my nightmares?" Neo asked._

" _Indeed," Mortem said, turning its eyes to her. "I need to get into this Summoner's mind. Yours was just connected to his. Though it is not my fault that I was in the minds of those who died of the sickness. That is the Council's fault. They made me kill them."_

" _I told them that, Mortem," Luna said._

" _Then why are you here?" Mortem asked. "What can you do to stop me?"_

" _We just want you to leave everyone alone," Luna said. "Release Law and his guardian."_

" _I cannot," Mortem said. "This man, this Summoner is mine until I can kill the other two Council."_

" _But they can't hurt you anymore," Luna said. "And without you they won't be able to live very long now anyway."_

" _Perhaps," Mortem said. "But do you really think that I will be sated with just that? No, I will not. I need to see their blood. I need to see my aura sword pierce into their hearts just like Fatin."_

 _"But-" Luna started._

" _You have spoken enough, Little One!" Mortem said. His aura twitched with annoyance. "Be silent or I will silence you myself!"_

" _You will not harm her," Neo said in a sharp royal tone. She placed her hand on Luna's shoulder and pulled the child between her and Law._

" _Confident, aren't you, Princess?" Mortem asked. Tilting his head, he took in the princess._

" _I know you won't," Neo said. "And I know you don't want to hurt anyone outside of the Council."_

" _Neo?" Law and Shanks asked._

" _It's all right," Neo said. "I know he won't hurt any of us. Well, anymore than he already has."_

" _What makes you think that?" Mortem asked._

" _Because they were the ones who imprisoned you," Neo said. "The rest of the Summoners are all innocent. You do not punish the innocent. And I know…I know that you won't hurt us because you don't have any negative feelings towards us. My nightmare…I realize that I was scared of losing Law. I was never actually scared of_ _you_ _directly."_

" _Very observant of you," Mortem said. "But it changes nothing. I will kill those other two Council for what they did to me."_

" _I can understand that," Neo said. "I know how it is to be treated unfairly. I know what it's like to be trapped."_

" _Oh? You do?" Mortem scoffed. "What can a princess know of being trapped?"_

" _I didn't know that I was a princess until a few years ago," Neo said. "I was treated terribly by humans because I was different from them. My home island of Luminous was betrayed. Because of that, I had to live among humans instead of my own people. I even killed an entire island of people. Only one managed to survive that besides myself."_

" _That does not mean I can still trust you humans," Mortem said. "The little one had already gave me her proof that she will not seal me up when she stopped using her Summoner powers. But I do not have that from him." It nodded towards Law. "He is still powerful enough to be a Fourth Level Summoner and Fifth Level Summoner."_

" _I have no interest in sealing you," Law said._

" _Words are cheep, pirate," Mortem said. "Humans often betray their own words."_

" _Mortem, please," Neo begged. "You have to believe us. We have no reason to seal you up again. I_ _promise_ _that I will never let anyone seal you up again."_

" _How do I know that you are trust worthy?" Mortem asked. "The humans on this island still fear me because of what the Council has told them. I will never have another life here."_

" _Then come with us," Law said._

" _Law?" Neo turned her eyes to him._

" _What are you planning?" Shanks asked._

" _If you do not feel like you are safe here, then come with us when we set sail," Law said._

 _Mortem's eyes narrowed._

" _We can keep you with us," Law said. "I can continued training with you and use you in the proper way."_

" _Some offer," Mortem said. "But how do I know you will use my abilities in the proper way? How do I know that you will not seal me up again?"  
"I've kept Neo's secret as an Elemental until it was brought out to the public by Doflamingo," Law said. "I helped her gain control over her magic when she sealed them inside of herself when humans hurt her. I can do the same for you."_

" _And interesting proposition," Mortem said. "But I still don't believe you."_

" _Mortem," Luna said, "all we want is for you to leave everyone else alone. The Council are the only ones who should be punished."_

" _Indeed they shall pay," Mortem said._

" _Then let us help you," Law said. "I will still allow you to use me, but you need to give me control back over my body. We will help you take down the Council."_

" _They've gone into hiding," Luna said. "If you go after them like this, then other Summoners will try to stop you. But if you let us help you, we can keep unnecessary casualties from happening."_

" _I will try it your way only if you allow me half control over your body until we finish off the Council," Mortem said._

" _Half control?" Neo asked._

" _Deal," Law said firmly._

" _Law?!" Neo whipped her eyes to Law._

" _It's all right, love," Law said. "Trust me. This has to be done to gain its trust."_

 _Neo sighed. "Very well."_

" _Understand that if I agree to this and you betray me I will take over your body again," Mortem said._

" _I understand," Law said with a firm nod. "That will not happen."_

" _Then it is decided," Mortem said. It snapped its fingers. A bright light flashed in their eyes before everything went dark._

…

Neo opened her eyes to the wooden ceiling of the pavilion and the familiar smell of unwashed pirates. Her heart skipped beat when she realized she was no longer with Law. She settled down when Penguin's worried face came into her view. She was back in the real world.

"Neo?" Penguin whispered.

With a small smile, she cupped his face in her hands. "I'm sorry, Penguin. I worried you all again."

"Your eyes are back to normal," Penguin said.

Neo nodded.

Penguin took her hands and helped her sit up.

"I'm sorry, everyone." Neo scanned her eyes over the group that was with her. "Did I miss much?"  
"Not much," Sanji said.

"Neo!" Chopper cried as he dove into her arms. "I was so worried about you!"

"I'm sorry." Neo wrapped her arms around the reindeer.

"Did you see Tra?" Luffy asked.

"I did." Neo nodded.

"I think we got through to the Mortem Orb." Luna scanned her eyes around their surroundings. "They should be here soon."

"We are glad to see you well, Princess," Benn said.

Neo turned her eyes to the Red Haired Pirates. She smiled at them then shifted nervously when they bowed to her. "I really wish you wouldn't do that. I'm not your princess after all."

"Of course you are." Yasopp winked.

"Get use to it," Shanks said, ruffling her hair.

Neo huffed. They all knew that the entire planet could bow to her multiple times a day and she would never get use to being treated that way.

…

Law opened his eyes to find himself standing once again on the Mount Zion with several Summoners surrounding him. Lifting up his hands, he looked to find the right side of his body was engulfed in the Mortem's black aura while his left side was engulfed in his blue aura. "What the heck? What's going on?"

"Hold it right there, Summoner Trafalgar!" a Summoner shouted. "Just stop resisting us! You're not going to get out of here!"

 _"It's only my aura," Mortem said. "I have half control of you. We should go meet up with your friends now."_

"Right," Law said, lowering his hands. "Seal?

 _"I am here, Cub,"_ _Seal said. "I have been freed as well. Our aura surrounds your left side to keep your body in balance with the Mortem Orb."_

"All right," Law said.

"I'm not telling you again!" the Summoner said. "Come with us!"

 _"We don't have time for this," Mortem said._

"Don't worry about them," Law said. He held out his hand, forming his Room. "Room." He sliced all the Summoners in half, shocking them before randomly sticking their bodies to the world around them before warping himself away from the area. "Shambles."

As he reappeared in the forest, he could hear the Summoners shouting in protest and confusion of what happened to them.

 _"What did you just do?" Mortem asked._

"That was part of my Devil Fruit power," Law said before warping again.

 _"Interesting ability," Mortem said. "It might be worth staying with you after all."_

"Flattered," Law deadpanned. No more words were passed between the three as he continued to make his way back to the apartments where he could sense Neo waiting for him. He was glad that he had gotten better control over his Devil Fruit powers. He was able to use it more and not get so tired. But he knew he needed to get there quickly. He needed to see Neo outside of his mind. He longed to wrap his arms around her.

 _"I know we're sharing your mind, but could you please keep the lovey dovey crap to a minimum?" Mortem asked._

Law smirked. He finally had a way to annoy this thing. He said, "Not going to happen. Neo and I are bonded to a very deep level."

 _"So I've heard," Mortem said._

Law's smirk grew. He could feel the Mortem Orb rolling its eyes. He was definitely going to enjoy torturing this thing.

…

Neo sat on the couch, her knees bobbing anxiously for Law to finally return. She wanted to go after him, but Chopper and Shanks insisted she wait for Law instead. She tried to pass the time by listening to the pirates talk. Usopp was having a happy conversation with his dad while others were chatting about other stuff. She wasn't sure what they were saying. With being worried and wanting to see Law again, she only caught bits and pieces of their conversations. The wait was agonizing. She could feel Law coming closer with each warp that he did. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Law warped in front of her. Warm tears poured down her cheeks as she jumped to her feet and ran to him. Through her arms and legs around his body, she clung to him. "Law!"

"Shh." Law wrapped his arms around her, holding her as comfortably to his body as he could without hurting her or their baby. "I'm here now. We're okay."

"And Seal?" Neo asked through her sobs.

 _"I am safe as well, Cub," Seal said._

"I'm glad to hear it," Neo said. She pulled back to look at Law. She studied the auras surrounding him. "What's going on with the auras?"

"The Mortem is half in control," Law explained. "Seal is keeping our aura around my left side to balance out with the Mortem's aura."

"Oh," Neo said, nuzzling back into him. "Okay then."

"Captain," Penguin said, earning the man's attention. "We're glad you're okay."

"Captain!" Tears gathered in Bepo's eyes as he stared at his best friend. He would have hugged his captain if Neo hadn't beaten him to it. But he really didn't care. He knew Neo need the captain more than he did. "You're all right! But what's with the auras?!"

"Is that the Mortem Orb?" Shachi asked.

"It is." Law nodded while Neo placed her feet back on the ground but kept herself tucked into his chest. "It's to keep a balance between me and the Mortem Orb."

"So what now?" Luffy asked.

"We're going after the Council," Law said.

"Are you sure about that?" Luffy asked.

"I am." Law nodded. "But only a few of us are going after them. I need the rest of you to help with the Summoners. Some of them will understand our position while others will remain loyal to the Council."

"So who's going where?" Nami asked.

"Neo, Straw Hat, Red Haired, Luna, and I will go after the Council," Law said. "The rest of you do what you can with the Summoners. Spread the truth of what happened, even if they don't listen to you."

"Then let's get started!" Luffy punched his fist into his palm. The pirates nodded in agreement before heading into the town. There they split up into groups. The pirates scattered around town, fighting those who wanted to fight while the other group headed straight for the Council's building.

"Are you sure that's where they'll be?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah." Luna nodded. "They live in that building. The Mortem Orb told me that there are tunnels under the island. The only door to them is inside of the Council's receiving room."

"We're going to have to fight them underground?" Shanks asked. "Isn't that going to give them the advantage?"

"We actually have the advantage," Luna said. "With the Mortem Orb on our side all it has to do really is pull the life forces out of their bodies to kill them. Technically their lives ended many years ago. They're only alive now because of the lives they stole from others."

 _"I'm going to do so much more than that," Mortem said._

"You will not over do it," Law said.

"Of course I won't," Luna said.

"Not you. I was talking to Mortem," Law said. "Remember the Mortem Orb is seeking revenge. I doubt it's going to let them get off that easy."

"Just don't hurt Law," Neo said.

 _"I won't," Mortem said. "I shall hold to my word."_

Neo nodded.

"More silent conversations," Luffy said. "It's funny."

"It's annoying," Luna said.

Shanks chuckled. "So where is this building?"

"We're close," Luna said. They all ran through the town, glad that the people had all went back into their homes but for some Summoners who wanted to try and stop Law. The Summoners lined up, forming a wall.

"Looks like we're going to have to fight our way through," Luffy said, cracking his knuckles.

Shanks kneaded his eyebrows. The Summoners started falling down to his unseen Haki attack.

"Hey!" Luffy whined.

"We don't have time to fight them all," Shanks said. "Besides, they're not the enemy here. They were only told a false history."

"I know," Luffy said, he continued running past the fallen bodies. "But I still want to fight."

"You might get your chance," Luna said. "The Council has been in power for so long they're not going to go down without a fight."

"Good," Luffy said.

Neo shook her head. She didn't want any of them to fight. But they didn't have a choice. Her eyes latched onto their destination when they rounded the last corner. It was all going to end there.

Once they had reached the doors, they all paused. One look passed around them all, a silent question was asked. They all nodded. They were as ready as they could possibly be. No point in delaying this any longer. Law placed his hands on the door and pushed it open. A cool rush of wind flowed over them from inside. They ignored it and entered. They didn't run but they walked really fast down the hall. The Council was already way a head of them.

It was at this point Neo finally understood why this building freaked her out so much. She must have sensed all of the death that was surrounding the Council. Since they spent most of their time in this building, it was like the souls of those lives they had took gathered here. She could once again feel the coldness of this place. Only this time it was accompanied with anger and unrest. She wondered if it was possible that those the Council had killed were gathering somehow to what them finally be defeated.

Rushing down the long hallway, they came to the door. Neo couldn't help but eye the illustration on the door. The lie of the Summoner history. She hoped it would be corrected once this was all over. Then a thought hit her. "Wait!"

"What is it, Neo?" Law shot his worried eyes to her as they all jerked to a stop. "Are you hurt?"  
"No," Neo said. "I just realized that we need to show the Summoners here that what Luna said about the Mortem Orb is true."

"How?" Shanks asked.

"We need them to see the Mortem's aura leaving their bodies," Neo said. "That way there won't be any doubts that the Council."

 _"The girl speaks the truth," Mortem said._

 _"Indeed," Seal agreed. "If they don't, they'll only see this as murder."_

"Fine," Law said. "Once we find them we'll need to take the battle to the streets. Neo, think you can handle getting up back to the surface?"  
"It might be hard, but I think I can do it," Neo said. "Hopefully the other Elementals will figure out what I'm going and help."

Law nodded. With no other words say, he pushed the door open and they entered.

"So where's the door to the tunnels?" Luffy asked while he glanced around the vacant room. He pointed to his right were three doors were standing. "Is it one of those doors?"

"You're an idiot," Luna said. "Didn't I just tell you about the tunnels running _underground_?"

"Of course." Luffy nodded. "And there has to be a door. There are doors over there."

"Just stop talking," Luna said. "Grown ups are trying to work here."

"It's over there," Neo said, pointing to the corner of the room. She led them over to the area then summoned an earth crystal. The floor crackled and snapped when she punctured her vines into the stone. She ripped it up and laid the door on the floor before following Law down the stairs. On the first step she went to summon some fire crystals to give them light, but paused when she found markings on the bluish grey walls were lit up as a light source. "What are these markings?"  
"Ancient language of the Summoners," Luna said. She pulled her eyes away from the walls and listened to their footsteps echoing through the small stairwell. "There are some books about it in the library but no one speaks it anymore. At least no one that I know about. They changed the language many years ago when more people started to come here."

"Interesting," Shanks said, eyeing the markings. "I wonder what they say."

"My grandpa told me these should contain forgotten summons, at least some of them," Luna said. "Some sections might be about the history of the island, how it was founded, and other such stories. It's even possible that there are stories written into the walls. But since no one can read them anymore we'll never know for sure."

"So where did they go?" Luffy asked when they landed at the bottom of the stairs. There were several doors surrounding them. "It's like a maze down here."

"It is a maze," Luna said. "Or so I've been told. It's also been said that all passages will lead to the Heart of Zion. Which is Mount Zion itself."

"Do you think that's where the Council are going?" Shanks asked.

"It's possible," Luna said. "This place was meant to delay until the Summoners can get to the base of Mount Zion where there's a larger room. There they prepare for an ambush for whoever is after them. The only defense will be there summons. But with the powerhouses we have," She looked at Law and Neo, "they should know they don't stand a chance."

"That means they'll be desperate," Shanks said. He locked his eyes onto Neo. "You be extremely careful."

"I will, Godfather." Neo nodded.

 _"Then let's get going," Mortem said._

"Mortem's getting impatient," Law said before eyeing all of the doors. "Neo?"

"I can sense them down that one," Neo said, pointing to one of the doors right in front of her. "I can sense them but also the stone this place is made with."

 _"Don't worry," Mortem said. "I can sense them easily enough. Just go."_

Law nodded and walked through the door Neo had pointed out.

They had no idea how long they had walked or how many turns they had made, before coming to an open square that resembled the area where Law got his guardian. The walls, floor, and ceiling of this room were lit up with the same lettering as the rest of this place. In the middle of the square were three thrones just like the one's in the receiving room. Mohan and Morana were sitting up on them. The third one empty.

Neo shivered upon seeing the empty throne. It made her wonder if they knew their third partner wasn't coming to see them ever again. She forced her eyes off of it and looked at the last two Councilmembers.

"So you've made it this far," Mohan said. "I guess we should have known since the beginning. You were a very odd one indeed."

"You should have known since the beginning that this charade of yours couldn't last very long," Mortem hissed through Law's body.

"Interesting," Mohan said, tilting his head. "I never knew the orbs could speak like that." His eyes drifted to Luna. "You foolish girl. If only you had just did what you were told, none of this would be happening."

"If you hadn't been so selfish none of this wouldn't have happened," Luna said.

"Silence, child!" Morana hissed. "This is all _your_ fault!" She lifted her hand. "And you're going to pay! Rocks of Naturae! Rise up! Strike!"

The ground around them rumbled. Several rocks lifted up out of the ground and shot out at the pirates and Luna.

Luna raised her arm as an attempt to protect herself. But with one blink of her eyes the pirates had jumped in front of her.

"Gum Gum Gatlin!" Luffy punched several rocks. They shattered and grumbled to the ground.

Shanks pulled out his sword, slicing many that flew at him.

"Room! Shamble!" Law warped a lot away.

Neo used her earth crystals to stop and fling them back at the Council, but they easily brushed them aside with their auras. She said, "Enough! You will not win this battle! Just stop it!"

"Do not order us around, _Princess_!" Morana hissed.

"You are in over your heads," Neo shot back. "You were the second you sent out that _thing_ to force people to become Summoners. Your _powers_ only control parts of nature. My people and I _are_ nature. You've lost this fight before it even began."

"Perhaps," Mohan said with a smile. "But we are only two. Once our third party gets here-"

"The young one is dead," Mortem hissed through Law. A sadistic smile curled on to Law's face, reflecting how the orb was feeling. He held out Law's hands, forming his black aura into two swords. "And soon you will be as well."

"Fatin is…is dead?" Morana gasped.

"Lies!" Mohan shouted, his voice echoing off the walls.

"No lie," Mortem said. "She was easy to kill. Her hormones distracted her again." It gestured to Law's body. "All she could think about was sleeping with this pirate."

"Watch it," Neo warned the orb.

"Either way," Mortem said, "she is dead. As will you be in a minute." His aura spread out over Law before he rushed forwards towards the Council. "Princess! Be prepared!"

"Huh?" It took Neo a minute to realize what the orb was saying. Then it dawned on her that it was talking about showing proof to the Summoners that the Council had lied to them. "Right!"

"Neo, you focus on getting us back to the surface," Shanks said. "Luffy and I will assist Trafalgar in taking down the Council."

"Okay," Neo said. She wanted to argue and fight along side Law, but she knew moving so much ground above them was going to take a lot of her strength.

"I'll help you was much as I can," Luna said.

"What do you mean?" Neo looked at the girl.

"It has been some times since I've used my summoning powers," Luna said looking at her hands. "And I might not be as strong as other Summoners but I can help."

"All right." Neo nodded. "Just take it easy. If you think you can't handle it, just stop."

Luna nodded.

"Let's go, Luffy," Shanks said.

"Yeah!" Luffy charged forwards with his friend.

Neo watched them battle through all of the nature summons that the Council was throwing at them. She then took a deep breath and slowly exhaled before focusing on the building and ground around them. She summoned her earth and wind crystals and started to tunnel them a way back to the surface by going straight up then away from the mountain.

…

Law felt his body being forced forward. On instinct he wanted to fight against the Mortem Orb over control. But then he stopped. His own aura was still around half of his body so he wasn't completely controlled. The black aura swords became sharper the closer they got to the Council. He pulled back and thrust the sword towards Morana's heart.

"Stone Shield!" Morana shouted. The floor rose up between them.

Mortem's attack hit the stonewall. It cracked.

Law heard the Mortem Orb scream in his head. The black aura flared up and pushed on through the wall. He heard a gasp and the wall crumbled away. When it was gone, he caught blood dripping down Morana's chest. But there wasn't enough for it to have been a fatal hit.

"Focus, you twit!" Mohan hissed. "Root Strike!"

Law jumped into the air just before roots of a tree came through the floor. He flipped back and landed on his feet.

"Shut up!" Morana snapped. "I know what I'm doing! You just focus on those other two!"

…

"Fine!" Mohan turned back to Law and Shanks. "Vines and Roots! Attack!"

Several roots and vines came up out of the floor. The building groaned from the treatment of being used. Small parts of it started cracking and falling down on them.

"Whoa!" Luffy jumped to the side just before a root could puncture his rubber skin. "Tra never said anything like that! They're different!"

"Maybe the words don't matter?" Shank asked, he sliced through the vines and roots.

…

"Neo, I don't mean to rush you, but we're on a time limit here," Luna said.

"I know," Neo said. She kept her eyes locked onto the ceiling above her. Mentally linking herself to the elements, she burrowed a mental image until she could get to the surface. "We're almost there."

…

 **Sarge1130: I think I meant Sanji leaving for Neo's crew was meant to be a joke. I can't remember now. Lol. As for the Council and their age issue, I didn't even noticed. Oops. I tried to figure out a way to fix that in this chapter, but came up with nothing. So I guess it's just going to be a plot hole unless I figure out how to fix it.**


	22. Leaving Zion

Leaving Zion

Topaz gulped as she waited for the Summoners to make their move. She had succeeded in getting the Elementals to help subdue the Summoners, but it wasn't as easy as they thought it was going to be. The Summoners were still fighting back. Or they were until Elek had shouted out what Luna had told them. Some had switched sides immediately, believing that the cause of their loved ones deaths made sense now. Some didn't believe them so easy and thought that were just a lie.

"I don't think they're going to believe us," Bao said.

Topaz glanced at the young man. She still wasn't thrilled with him and Elek. But she had no time to get picky. They had more of an influence over the Summoners than she had. So she had to trust them, even though her trust in them had been damaged. She tried not to hold it against them. Well, most of it anyway. They still went along with forcing people to become Summoners. Just then a strange feeling came from Mount Zion. All of their eyes turned to the mountain in time to see the black aura coming out of it.

"It's the Mortem Orb!" someone shouted. "It's free!"

"It's going to kill us all!" another person shouted.

Panic spread through the people. Their voices roared up as several began to strike out against the Elementals. The Summoners struck out with their summons while the Elementals just redirected and deflected their attacks.

"Calm down!" Elek shouted. "No one is going to be killed! Trafalgar Law is strong enough to control the orb! Remember! You have been lied to!"

"You're lying!" someone shouted.

"You have betrayed the Council!"

"No! The Council has betrayed us!" Elek said. "They have lied to us! They are the enemy! Not the Mortem Orb!"

"I don't think you're going to get through to them," Teal said, walking up to the group.

"You believe us, don't you?" Elek asked.

"I have never had a reason to doubt you," Teal said, crossing her arms. "Besides, I like the pirates. They're nice." Her cheeks flushed. "Especially Bepo and Chopper."

"Focus," Bao said.

"Hypocritical coming from you," Elek said, earning a glare from the young man.

Bao shrugged.

"So what's your plan?" Teal asked.

"We don't really have one," Topaz said. She tried to reach the Summoners again. "Wait! Listen to me!"

The crowd continued to scream and strike out at the Elementals.

Topaz pinched the bridge of her nose. She summoned as many fire crystals as she could. Hovering them over those fighting, she flared them up as hot as she could then swirled the blaze to fry and melt attacks. Heads turned to her when she banished her fire. "Listen! You think the Council cares for you?!"

"Of course they do!" someone shouted.

Voices of agreement ran through the crowd.

"Then where are they?!" Topaz demanded.

Silence fell over the crowd.

"The Council ran and hid as soon as they knew for certain that the Mortem Orb was breaking free," Elek said. "Doesn't that tell you something in itself?"

Murmurs started spreading through the crowd.

Topaz gripped her hands, hoping they had finally got through to them all.

…

"Ah!" Luffy screamed when a thick vine wrapped around his body and lifted him into the air.

Shanks rushed to his friend and sliced the vine, easily freeing the young captain.

"Thanks," Luffy said, landing back on his feet.

Shanks nodded. "Hold on a little bit longer, Luffy. We're about to get out of this place."

"Huh?" Luffy glanced over at Neo. Sweat was beading down her face. "Hold on, Neo."

"She'll be fine." Shanks sliced a large rock in two. The pieces fell to the ground with a loud thunk before they shifted into chains and wrapped around his body.

"Shanks!" Luffy shouted.

Shanks, with a flick of his wrist, cut the chains holding him.

Mohan scoffed. "You pirates are such a pain."

"You're just saying that because you're going to lose!" Luffy snapped.

Mohan shrugged. Gathering his aura around his body, he shifted into his snake form.

"You think a snake can beat us?" Luffy asked.

Mohan hissed before his aura split and shaped into several aura snakes.

"Careful, Luffy," Shanks warned. "He's trying to trick us so he can bite us."

"Just great," Luffy said. The snakes struck out at them. The young pirate jumped up on one of the large snakes and ran across it while punching and kicking other snake auras. The snakes would disappear only to reassemble themselves. He ducked just as one about bite his head off. "Dang! That was close!"

"Doesn't look like our attacks are going to put them out of commission," Shanks said slicing through the aura snakes only to have them reassemble themselves.

Mohan hissed. His snake lips curled into a smile. Striking out his own tail among the aura snakes, he knocked Luffy and Shanks against the wall, crumbling it severely.

Shanks and Luffy shook off the attack and the dirt from their hair before charging back at Mohan.

"You just don't give up? Do you?" Mohan asked, shifting back into his human form. Gathering his aura, he pulled up dirt from the broken wall and mixed it in with water, creating a stream of mud. "Earth and Water Bind! Smash!"

Shanks smirk. Gripping his sword he easily sliced the attack coming for them. "You Summoners really shouldn't focus so much on using your summoning powers."

"Oh?" Mohan frowned. "Why not?"

"Because you suck at physical attacks!" Luffy appeared beside Mohan. Pulling his fist back, he slammed it into the man's cheek, sending him flying across the room.

The bones in Mohan's cheek snap and cracked under the pressure of the hit.

…

Neo panted, a cold drop of sweat dripped down her cheek. She was feeling her energy draining from her. Digging through this much was really putting a strain on her and their baby. If she didn't get through soon she knew she was going to have to let it go.

"Come on, Neo," Luna quietly cheered. With her own aura out, she too was doing what she could to move the earth around. She gasped when she saw several rocks flying their way. Gritting her teeth, she knew she had no choice but to help protect Neo. Her heart thumped against her chest, hoping the Mortem wouldn't get angry with her for using her power. It should so she did it. "Astral Orb! Lend me your power! Star Shower!"

White specks gathered around Luna's body. They shot out, hitting the projectiles coming towards them, shattering them to dust.

"Wow," Neo said. "That was amazing."

"It was nothing." Luna shrugged, her cheeks pink. "We can talk about that later. Are we almost out?"  
"Yeah." Neo nodded, refocusing her attention above them. "Just another-Huh?"

"What is it?" Luna asked.

"I can feel them," Neo said, smiling. "The Elementals must have figured out what I'm doing. They're helping now."

"That's good," Luna said. She glanced over at Luffy and Shanks just in time to see them get slammed into the wall. She cringed, wondering how they could take a hit and stand back up.

 _'Law, be prepared to head up and out.'_

 _'All right. We're ready. How are you doing? I can feel your body straining.'_

 _"I'm fine, Law. The Elementals are helping now.'_

 _'That's good. Once we're up, I want you to stay out of this fight. And no arguing. That's an order.'_

 _'Yes, Law. But you're making that order up to me later.'_

 _'I will, love.'_

…

Law, with Mortem's aura swords, sliced at Morana several times. Their auras clashed, sending colorful sparks of their respective auras into the air. The woman kept backing away from him with each strike he took on her, obviously not as skilled with the swords as he was. It was good. This meant that the woman didn't notice what Neo was doing. If they got lucky enough, they would get the two Summoners back to the surface then Mortem could pull out the life force from them. Then it would be over. Still he had to admit that this woman was quick on her feet. He swiped at her. She ducked and swung at him. With his mastery of swordplay he easily blocked it. Since he was holding back, this was nothing more than a distracting tap dance.

"We're going up!" Neo then shouted out seconds before her winds wrapped around them all.

"What?!" Morana hissed.

No other words were spoken. Neo pulled them up towards the ceiling. Just as they were about to hit it, it flew up with them. Luffy cheered happily as they entered into the dark, dirt filled tunnel. She heard Mohan hiss something at the Straw Hat captain but was too focused on getting them out before she gave out. She angled them through the tunnel she had dug, curving up and around the mountain. Before long the sun shone in their dark surroundings before penetrating their eyes. They all blinked until their eyes adjusted to the light. Her winds faded, causing them to drop a few feet.

"Princess!" Era shouted out.

"We got you!" Aura added.

"Great!" Neo said, winded. She allowed her crystals to fade, letting the twins take over flying them. Below she saw the earth Elementals with their crystals. They hovered the section of the ground she had carved out until they were all moved out of the way. They then put it back into place and fixed it to look as if it hadn't been disturbed at all. Her heart warmed at how protective her people were being with nature.

"Wow. Your people are so amazing," Luna said, surveying the replaced ground. "I can't even tell that the ground has been moved."

"No!" Mohan, back in his human form, cried out. "You pirates are going to pay for this!"

"No, Summoner," Mortem said through Law. " _You're_ going to pay for what _you_ did."

"Neo! Take us back to the town!" Law said.

"Right! Elementals! Hurry us back to the town!" Neo shouted.

"Yes, Princess!" the Elementals said.

Wind whipped through their hair and clothes with their instant flight back to the town courtesy of the Hurricane Twins, Neo directed her people into dropping the two Councilmembers right in the center of the gathered people. She looked down to find a lot of the people of this island looked angry and betrayed while somewhere confused and some still looked loyal to the Council. Among them she spotted her family and friends. Relief washed over to see that they appeared unharmed. Their plans to deal with the Summoners must have worked. Of course having the Red Haired Pirates here might have help quite a lot. They were very intimidating alone. She was sure some surrendered upon seeing them. But now everyone was looking right at the two Councilmembers. Murmurs began to spread through the crowd.

"What's going on?"

"Are they fighting?"

"But where did they come from?"

"Can their betrayal really be true?"

"It has to be. If not, then why were they hiding?"

"No, it can't be true. It can't be."

"Tell us! Did you really betray us?!"

"Mohan!"

"Morana!"

"Please, tell us you didn't leave us here to die!"

Mohan and Morana didn't answer.

…

Mortem spread his aura over Law's body. The two Councilmembers screamed out loud. Their bodies began to glow black. The glow ripped out of them and flowed over into Law, into the Mortem Orb. Law could hear the surprised gasped from below them. They were quickly followed by angry shouts.

"What's going on?!"

"Speak to us, Council! What's happening?!"

"You lied to us!"

"You betrayed us!"

"We trusted you!"

"Tell us this isn't true! You do care about us, don't you?!"

Law stood still. His eyes ran over the crowd to check how hostile they might get and to make sure Neo was protected. She was. He saw they were hovering just above the crew plus several Elementals who were making sure no one hurt his love and their princess. Pulling his eyes back to the divided crowd, he could tell that the Council's rule was over whether or not all the Summoners believed them. He said, "Your rule is over."

"No!" Mohan screamed.

"This plan was perfect!" Morana added.

"You will not get away with this!" Mohan hissed.

"We already have," Mortem said. "Princess, release us now!"

The twins looked to Neo.

"It's all right," Neo said. "Law and the Mortem Orb will end this."

"Okay," they said. They then banished their crystals.

"Luffy!" the Straw Hats cried.

"Neo!" the Heart Pirates said.

"Captain!" the Red Haired pirates said.

"You're okay!" Penguin said, hugging Neo. Through their embrace he felt how tired she was. "You are all right, aren't you?"

"Just tired," Neo said. She summoned her solar crystal and engulfed her body in it. "Drilling up through all of that really wore me out. How is everyone?"

"We're fine," Bepo said. "With the Elementals on our side subduing the Summoners wasn't that hard at all."

Neo nodded then turned her eyes back to Law. The cool breeze was replaced by the warm some and tense anticipation on what was going to happen next. The crowd began to push and shove while shouting angry cries and threats to the Council. The pirates moved in closer around her. Penguin and Shanks remained by her sides, both on tense guard to make sure no one hurt her or the child she carried.

…

Law felt his boots tap against the ground. Without looking he knew his eyes were black with blue slits again. The battle was finally going to come to an end. And he was glad. He could feel his energy draining at an alarming rate.

 _"Indeed it is, Cub," Seal said. "And not too soon. The Mortem Orb is draining your energy rather quickly now."_

"Good," Law said, his chest heaving up and down rapidly. "I don't think I can handle much more of this."

 _"Then I shall finish it soon," Mortem said._

Law felt the orb taking more of his body under its control. Painful screams filled the air. He looked up to see Morana and Mohan doubled over in pain while black aura was pulled from them. Then the screams cut off before starting again. The sounds of their screaming almost made him cringe. The Mortem Orb wasn't kidding when it said it was going to make the Council pay for what they did.

His hands lifted up. The black aura swords once again appeared. Rushing forward, Mortem sliced the Councils' skin multiple times. Blood spurted out of the cuts, dripping down their skin and plopping on the ground. A shiver of joy spread up his spine, well Mortem's spine. It wasn't his own joy that Law was feeling. He just wanted this fight over as soon as it could be. But he could easily tell that Mortem was going to drag this out as long as he could. And that could and would be dangerous.

"You're going to pay for that!" Mohan hissed. He and Morana pushed themselves to their feet. Gathering their auras together, they formed a large aura hammer, and swung it down towards Law.

"Do you really believe such a childish trick will stop me?" Mortem asked, shielding Law's body with his aura.

"It's a trap!" Law hissed just before Mohan and Morana shot vines out at him. The vines wrapped around his body, blocking out the sun and air from him. "You idiot!"

 _"Do not speak to me like such!" Mortem said._

"Do not tell me what to do!" Law snapped back. "Do you not have any battle experience at all?! You need to stop playing around for your sick little game of revenge and take them down!"

 _"Have you been locked up for years inside of a mountain?!" Mortem demanded. "I can easily kill them just by taking their life forces they had stolen. But what fun would that be?"_

"Just kill them already!" Law felt the little air he had left quickly being used up. "I'm going to warp us out of here! Kill them!"

 _"Fine," Mortem said. "Your body can't handle much more of my power anyway."_

Law huffed. His head was becoming lighter from the lack of oxygen. "Room. Shambles."

…

"Law!" Neo lunged forward only to have Penguin and Shanks block her path when the Councils' vines wrapped around his body. She knew no air would be able to get in through the vines and had to get him out.

"Neo!" Penguin said. "The captain will be fine!"

"He's right," Shanks said, calmer than Penguin.

"Godfather," Neo said, her eyes frozen on the vines. Her head was spinning but she wasn't sure if it was from the lack of oxygen from Law or if it was the fear. Then Law appeared. She relaxed when Law reappeared and filled his lungs with fresh air.

"He's trying to kill the Council!" someone shouted. "Stop him!"

"No! He's trying to save us!"

"Fight! Save the Council!"

The residents of Zion began to exchange punches and Summoner attacks. The Elementals jumped right into hold them down and keep nature from going out of control from the upset people. The group rumbled while the wind bounced back and forth between a rushing gale and a gentle breeze as plants twisted and grew.

"What's going to happen if things get out of control?" Aura asked. "We have our limits as well."

"It'll be fine," Shachi said. "Our captain will end this. Or Mortem will…or someone will."

"Very motivational and moving," Tero said, crossing his arms over his chest. "These people are still innocent victims where they believe it or not."

"Just give them a little more time," Luna said. "The Mortem won't let the Council live past today."

…

"Chains of Naturae!" Mohan and Morana shouted.

The ground rumbled violently. Lifting up out of the ground was a massive chain. People screamed and scattered. Law gritted his teeth. This had to be the work of the Councils' combined forces. His lessons never mentioned that he could make chains this big. It was unnerving. Did the longer a Summoner live mean their summoning attacks could grow as well? He didn't know and didn't think he would ever know.

Law panted. His chest heaving up and down as his vision blurred before him. If the Mortem Orb didn't take the stolen life forces soon his body was going to give out on them. The Mortem Orb lifted up Law's hand. A dark mist radiated out from the palm of his hand. "What is this?"

 _"A mist that will make anyone touching it feel very anxious," Mortem said._

"Great." Law frowned. Neo didn't need that at all. _'Neo, don't touch the mist. It'll make you feel anxious. You're feeling that enough as it is.'_

 _'I'll be fine. Focus on the battle. I can feel your energy draining faster.'_

 _'Blame Mortem for that. He's dead set on torturing them as much as possible.'_

 _'He's already done that enough by breaking free of the mountain.'_

Law nodded in agreement. This was overkill now. The chill from the mist sent a shiver down his arms. The Mortem wasn't kidding about it causing people to become anxious. Through the dark mist he could see the fear settling in the Councils' eyes. It was working, but he didn't know how well it was going to work. He then found himself saying, "Death Spears of Fear…" Mortem lifted his hand like he was holding a spear. Surprisingly, a glowing black spear appeared in his hand. "Strike!"

Several small spears shot out at the tip of the larger spear. They shot through the air and into Mohan and Morana's bodies. Law kneaded his eyebrows. No blood came out of their bodies so whatever this was it wasn't physical attack. "What did you just do?"

 _"These spears cause the target to see what they fear most. So they are seeing their deaths before they die," Mortem said._

"You are sick," Law said, feeling a twinge of pride coming from the orb. It made him second guess his offering of taking it with them. Finally, he felt Mortem form his aura sword. He shot forward, sinking the dark blade into Mohan's chest. The man's eyes widened, his face twisted with fear. Morana shrieked. He smiled, a reaction of the Mortem Orb, at the iron that now tainted the air and the red blood darkening the purple robe. His eye caught movement. Morana was trying to scramble away from him.

 _"Warp!" Mortem demanded._

"Don't tell me what to do," Law said, but did it anyway.

"Ah! N-no," Morana stuttered as she fell down on the ground. "Please! Leave me be!"

"Just like you left _me_ alone?" Mortem asked through Law. He pulled back, shoving his aura sword into the woman's chest. Leaning forward, it whispered, "No longer will you use me to remain alive."

It pulled the sword from her body. She slumped on the ground. The last of the black aura left their bodies.

The black aura faded around Law. He stumbled backwards before falling to the ground himself. A black orb appeared, it rolled on the ground and came to a stop near Law's body.

"Law!" Neo screamed. She summoned her wind crystal again and flew over to him with the others following close behind. Kneeling down she instantly engulfed him in her glow. She cupped his face and turned him to her. "Law?"

 _"He's all right, Cub," Seal said. "Using the Mortem Orb just exhaust him."_

"He's all right," Chopper said with a sigh of relief after checking Law's blood pressure. "He's just exhausted."

"That's good," Neo said, swaying from her own tiredness.

"Easy," Penguin said. He grabbed her shoulders and leaned her against his chest.

"I'll be fine," Neo said. "We both just need to rest for a while."

"We should move him to the hospital," Healer Chase said, stepping out of the crowd. "And you can inform me on exactly what happened here."

"All right," Neo said, her eyelids falling closed.

"I guess I'll be telling you what happened," Luna said.

"She should rest anyway," Shanks said.

"Yeah." Luffy nodded.

"Let's go," Healer Chase said.

…

Neo opened her eyes to the sound of the familiar beeping of the heart monitor. Luffy's smiling face then appeared in her vision. She jumped slightly, the beeping increased then slowly decreased as her heart rate slowed. "Luffy, you startled me."

"Sorry," Luffy said. "I was just so worried about you. You've been asleep for almost an entire day."

"An entire day?" Neo said. "I was more tired than I thought."

"Well, you're awake now," Luffy said. "Let's go flying now."

"Back off, Straw Hat," Penguin said before appearing in Neo's vision. "How you doing, Neo?"

"Fine," Neo said. "Still a bit tired." She turned her head to Law who was sleeping beside her. "How's Law?"

"He'll be fine," Healer Chase said as he walked into the room. "Never had I dealt with a case like this. He appears to be extremely exhausted. He wasn't properly prepared to handle the Mortem Orb. I've also hook you up to the heart monitor. You've been using your crystals quiet a lot."

"Sorry about that," Neo said, her hand rested on her stomach. "How's our baby?"  
"Your baby's just fine," Healer Chase said, looking at the monitors. "But I do want you to rest for two weeks now before you use your crystals to such an extent again. If you can, I'd like you to not use them at all."

Neo giggled. "I think that'll be one of the first things Law tells me when he wakes up."

"And I'm telling you to do it as well," Penguin said.

"Count me in too!" Luffy said.

"All right now that's enough visiting for today," Healer Chase said. "Let them rest. You can come back tomorrow."

"Aw," Luffy whined but headed for the door anyway. He smiled when Shanks appeared. "Hey, Shanks! Neo's awake!"

"I can see that," Shanks replied. "I would have come sooner but I had to help Topaz with the crowd. Some of the more loyal people here were causing trouble. But they've settled back down now."

"That's good to hear," Neo said.

"We'll see you later," Penguin said. He kissed her temple then followed Luffy out of the room.

"Don't take too long," Healer said to Shanks as he too left the room.

"I won't," Shanks said. Once they were all gone, he walked over to the bed and looked at the younger pirates. "You know, he's been a bad influence on you. You're not supposed to be this reckless."

Neo laughed, her bells jingled. "I guess he has."

"But you've rubbed off on him as well," Shanks said. "Just don't tell him I said that."

"I won't," Neo said. She paused before adding, "When are you leaving?"

"Whenever you do," Shanks said.

"Really?" Neo's eyes widened.

"Yeah." Shanks nod. "I figured since we're here and since we never get to see each other much, we could stick around for a while. At least until you two have completely healed before we set sail."

"I'd love that," Neo said.

"Good." Shanks leaned over and kissed her cheek. "You get some rest now. I'll see you later."

"All right." Neo watched him walk over to the door, shut off the light, and then left the door, closing the door behind him before she laid down. Laying her arm over Law's chest, she stroked his cheek while she watched him sleep. "Mortem?"

 _"I'm here," Mortem said._

Neo pushed up on the bed and saw the Mortem Orb sitting on the nightstand beside the bed. "Good. You're still here."

 _"I am," Mortem said. "Luna made sure that I remained with you."_

"What happened to you?" Neo asked.

 _"Once the Summoner passed out my aura left his body to reform the orb form that I usually take," Mortem said._

"So when you're inside of Law your orb disappears?" Neo asked.

 _"No, I'm still the orb. It just becomes my aura when I take someone over," it said._

"That sounds complicated," Neo said.

 _"Then you shouldn't have asked," Mortem said._

"I suppose so," Neo said. "Oh, and please don't be upset with Luna."

 _"Why shall I be upset with her?" Mortem asked._

"Because she used her powers to help me," Neo said. "She promised you she wouldn't use them again."

 _"It is fine," Mortem said. "She already proved that she wouldn't use that summons against me. She can use her powers once more."_

"That's good," Neo said with a sigh.

 _"You should do as you were told," Mortem said._

"You're worried about us," Neo said.

 _"I am not," Mortem said._

"Sure you're not." Neo smiled and settled back down against Law. Breathing in his scent, she allowed his familiar warmth to wash over her and lull her asleep.

…

Neo snuggled against Law's side, listening to the beeping of the heart monitor. Her heart jolted when she felt him move. She lifted up. "Law?"

Law turned his head towards her voice.

Neo swallowed. A smile spread across her face as she watched him open his eyes. "Law!"

"Hey, love," Law said.

"You're awake!" Neo leaned into him, crying. "I was so scared!"

"Shh." Law stroked her hair. "I'm sorry I worried you."

She shook her head. "It's…it's okay. It wasn't your fault."

"I feel so stiff. How long was I asleep?"

"Two weeks," Neo said.

"Two weeks?" Law asked, his voice filled with a bit of alarm.

"Healer Chase said it's because your body wasn't prepared to use the Mortem Orb," Neo said. "And you certainly wasn't ready to use it like you did, being merged and all. The Mortem said it was natural for you to be drained like this. But with the help of my solar crystal your recovery time has been shortened. You were suppose to be out of it for a whole month."

"I see," Law said. "It could have warned me about that."

"A few days ago it said it didn't want to because it didn't want you to hesitate in any kind of way," Neo said.

"Well, it might have been the right decision then," Law said. Rolling over on his side, be brushed the back of his fingers over her stomach. "I would have hesitated knowing that you would have to be that long without me." He paused. "So where is it anyway?"

"Back in its orb." Neo reached over Law to the table and plucked the black orb off of it.

"So much trouble for such a small thing," Law said. He took it from her and rolled it in his hand. The light reflected off of it. If he had seen this just lying around somewhere he never would have guessed it held so much destruction in it.

"You probably thought the same thing about me," Neo said.

"Of course not." Law placed the orb back on the table then turned his attention back to her. He squeezed her hip. "You've never been trouble."

"You'd probably never tell me if I was," Neo said, pecking his lips lightly.

"Oh, I would tell you," Law said, pecking her lips back.

"Uh huh." Neo cupped his face and kissed him.

"Well, I hate to interrupt," Healer Chase said before they could go too far.

"Healer Chase," Neo said, pulling back from Law with pink cheeks.

The healer chuckled and walked over to them. "I just came to check on you. My crystals informed me that you were awake. You see to be feeling better.

"I am," Law said as he and Neo sat up. "So when can we get out of here?"

"You youngsters are always so impatient," Healer Chase said. "But, yes, you're free to go now. Just let me remove my crystals from you and you can go."

Law reached into his shirt and plucked the crystals off and handed them to the healer. The Elemental nodded, shut off the machines monitoring his patients, and then left the room without another word to them. He slid off the bed and turned to her. "Come on."

"You're carrying me?" Neo asked, scooting over to the edge of the bed.

"Don't I always?" Law smirked.

Neo wrapped her arms and legs around Law's body, letting him lift her off the bed. "You're such a good boy." She pecked his nose. "Oh, yeah, I should let you know that the Summoners have been asking for the Mortem Orb back."

"Really?" Law lifted an eyebrow. "What did you tell them?"

"Nothing," Neo said. "I thought you'd be best to handle that. I've only told the crews to keep quiet about taking the orb with us."

"All right," Law said. "I'll handle them later. Right now I just want to get out of this place."

"The crews are waiting for us back at the apartment," Neo said.

Law nodded. Once they got outside, Neo wrapped her winds around them and flew them to their apartment before anyone could stop them. "You really shouldn't be using your crystals."

"I've only used my solar crystal these past two weeks," Neo said. "I'm healed."

"Still, take it easy," Law said.

"I will." Neo nodded.

"Hey!" Shachi said. "The captain's back!"

"Captain!" the Heart Pirates cheered as their two captains landed.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Bepo said, looking as if he would pounce on Law if Neo weren't already in his hold.

Law smiled at them and sat down with Neo in his lap. While relaxing he listen to them about what they had been doing since he went missing. They also informed him of the Summoner's Moon Festival, which continued even with what happened. Though it wasn't the best party since a lot of the Summoners were upset about the betrayal and that their captain took their leaders down.

"You should see Luna," Penguin said. "Her control over the Astral Orb is amazing!"

"It's nothing special," Luna said, her cheeks pink.

"You've got to learn to not be so modest," Shachi said. "You should see what she can do, Captain."

"I'm sure I'll see it soon enough," Law said as Neo snuggled against his neck. Knowing she was seeking his attention, he turned to her in time for her to capture his lips.

"I think they have different entertainment in mind for the moment," Nami said.

Everyone laughed.

"They have a good idea," Neo said through their kisses.

"That they do," Law said just before warping them from their current location and into their apartment.

"They lasted longer than I thought," Penguin said, earning another round of laughter.

…

The second Law warped them into their room he warped them again. That time he took off both their clothes while moving them under the covers of their bed. Instantly he started kissing her over her face while thrusting into her.

"Law," Neo gasped. "We're supposed to be resting."

"This is resting," Law said through his kissing.

Neo groaned when he hit her soft spot. Her toes curled. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer. "Faster."

Law instantly obeyed her command.

Neo allowed him to continue kissing over her skin until she wanted his lips for her own. She tugged on his hair. He instantly lifted up and placed his lips over hers. She immediately took control and slipped her tongue into his mouth while roaming her hands over his back. Soon she stole complete control over him and forced him onto his back.

Law groaned and rolled his head back when she rocked her hips against him.

…

"But the orb belongs here," a random Summoner said. Several rounds of agreements passed through the gathered crowd at the town square. Two hours ago they had gathered, even some of the pirates, to discuss the fate of the Mortem Orb and it was an intense meeting.

"The orb doesn't trust you people," Law said. He calmly looked out at the people, one hand in his pocket where the orb was while the other was holding his sword to his shoulder. Neo was standing beside him with her arms wrapped around his. She hadn't let go of his since they left the hospital yesterday. "It's coming with us."

"You can't do that," another Summoner said.

"I can. And I will," Law said. "The Mortem Orb doesn't want to stay here."

"And how do you know that?" someone asked.

"Because I have spoke with the orb," Law said. "Neo, Luna, and Red Haired also were there when we spoke."

"It's true," Shanks said. "We were there."

"You pirates have been nothing but trouble," Charger said as he appeared out of the crowd.

Law couldn't hold back his smirk. The man was still covered in bruises from his beating.

"That orb belongs here," Charger said. "And it's going to stay here."

"Are you going to fight for it?" Law asked. His smirk grew when Charger flinched. "You all can see what kind of trouble the Mortem Orb can be in the wrong hands."

"And who says it's in the right hands with you?" Charger asked.

"As I just asked, are you going to fight for it?" Law asked. "None of you can control the Mortem Orb, but I can. And we have three pirate crews and the Elementals to fight you. If you want to waste your lives for an item that you all fear, then go right ahead. But it won't be an easy fight for you."

"Just let it go," Zip said appearing out of the crowd. "Even if someone here gained the ability to use the Mortem Orb, it's not like it _has_ to be here for them to use it."

A round of agreements and murmurs passed through the crowd. Charger scoffed then disappeared back into the crowd. The crowd then started to disperse as they agreed to let the orb go.

"That was easier than I thought it would be," Shachi said.

"Probably," Penguin said. "Most likely someone will try to steal it from us."

"We can handle them easily if they do," Shachi said. He looked around. "Where's Topaz? I thought she would be here for this."

"She's taking a walk," Neo said. "I think she's still rather upset with Elek."

"What about you?" Shachi asked, looking at his sister.

"I am too," Neo said. "But I'm about over it. After all, it wasn't really their fault. At least, most of it wasn't. They were just as much pawns as we were."

"That's true." Shachi nodded.

"Yahoo!"

They all looked up when they heard Luffy cheering. The rubber captain was being flown around by the twins again.

"That guy," Penguin said.

"What are they going to do with the building the Council used?" Bepo asked. "I think they're going to rebuild it and use it for orphans," Neo said. "A lot feel really bad for how they treated Luna."

"Speaking of which, where did she run off to?" Penguin asked.

"I think she's spending some time with her grandfather," Neo said. "She has a big decision to make after all."

"Do you think she'll come with us?" Bepo asked.

"I hope so," Neo said. "But it is her choice. I'll support her which ever she choses."

"Where will she stay if she stays here?" Shachi asked.

"Teal offered a place for Luna to stay with her," Neo replied. "Let's get something to eat. I'm starving!"

"Did someone say food?" Luffy asked appearing upside down in front of the pirates.

"Some times I think he has super sonic hearing," Penguin said.

"Only when it comes to food," Shachi said.

"I'm all for eating!" Luffy said.

"We're hungry as well," the twins said as they landed. "Let's eat."

"So where are we going?" Luffy asked while the twins set him back down on the ground.

"I'm in the mood for fish!" Neo said, rubbing her stomach. "Baby wants fish too. You coming Godfather?"

"I shall join you," Shanks said. "I'm sure my crew can manage without me for a little bit longer."

"Great!" Neo smiled.

"We know the best place to get sea food," Aura said.

"Just follow us," Era added.

The pirates followed after the twins through the town.

"Bao," Neo said when the young Summoner appeared out of the crowd. She tightened her hold on Law's arm when she felt him get angry with the young man.

"Oh, um, hi," Bao said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"So this is the young man I've heard so much about." Shanks placed his hand on his sword, earning a nervous look from Bao.

"It is," Neo said.

"Come and eat with us!" Luffy then said.

"Straw Hat!" Law hissed.

"What? He's our friend," Luffy said.

"He is not," Law scoffed.

"Of course he is," Luffy said.

"That's your opinion," Penguin said.

"We're not happy with what he did to our captains," Bepo said.

"Oh, come on. That wasn't his fault," Luffy said. "The Council people lied to them after all."

"But he and Elek still went along with forcing people to become Summoners," Shachi said.

"So what? Wouldn't you have done that in their place?" Luffy asked.

"He has a point," Bepo said. "They might not have known what the Council was doing, but they still were in danger of the Mortem Orb."

"The orb didn't want to hurt anyone but the Council," Penguin said. "Everyone else would have been fine."

"No they wouldn't," Neo said, earning everyone's eyes. "The Mortem Orb would have killed anyone that tried to stop it from killing the Council."

"Don't tell me you're forgiving him for _everything_ that he's done," Penguin said.

"He hasn't even really apologized for the moves he tried to pull on you," Shachi added.

"I know," Neo said. "But I won't be angry with him for the rest of my life. So I guess I do forgive him for everything that he's done." She narrowed her eyebrows at Bao. "But I do not want you to flirt with me again. I don't like it."

Bao sighed. Looking at Neo, he finally apologized sincerely for the first time. He said, "I'm sorry about the trouble I've caused. Both from the Council and from trying to flirt with you."

Neo nodded in acceptance to his words.

"Our sister might have forgiven you but we're not that easy," Penguin said, crossing his arms.

"I know," Bao said. "But I don't know why you're holding a grudge." He glared at them. "After your revenge you took on me."

The pirates snickered. Law cocked a cocky smirk.

"That was funny," Luffy said.

"You're going to have to tell me about that one," Shanks said.

"Fine," Bao grumbled while shoving his hands into his pockets. "Once you leave you'll never hear from me again. Does that make it better?"

"I guess it makes it a little better," Bepo said.

"It does not!" Shachi and Penguin snapped.

"I'm sorry." Bepo ducked his head.

"Can we please argue over this later? I'm starving," Neo whined while pulling on Law's arm.

"Easy, love," Law said before placing a kiss on her temple. "We're going. He can come if he wishes but he's not sitting anywhere near you."

"He'll be sitting beside me so I can keep a close eye on him," Shanks said, frowning at the young Summoner.

"Great! Let's go!" Neo said. "Aura! Era! Fly us, please!"

"You got it!" Aura and Era said. They summoned their wind crystals and flew their group to their destination. It was a quant little white shack like building sitting on a rock jutting out from the beach and decorated with nets, sea shells, and other sea related items giving it a boat like feel.

Neo's sniffed the grilled fish smelling air as they landed. "Smells so good!"

"Then it's a good thing our people work here," Aura said.

"You'll get the royal treatment," Era said.

"Royal treatment," Neo said thoughtfully. "I think this is the first time I won't care about being treated as a royal."

"Then let's eat!" Luffy cheered before running into the building.

"Yeah!" Neo said, following at her.

"She's such a child," Penguin said with a smile.

"You mean they're both children," Shachi said.

"Let's eat!" the twins said as they followed after the two pirates.

"I can't wait," Bepo said, following them. "It smells so good!"

"Might as well join _all_ of the children inside," Shachi said before leaning the rest of their group into the building.

…

Topaz sighed as she walked along the beach alone. As the waves crashed upon the sand, she decided to take off her shoes and walked in the water. With them dangling from her hand, she continued on her way down the beach with the cold water lapping at her ankles. Her mind was filled with everything that happened while they were there while the salty air filled her nose.

"I'm not happy with what you chose to do," Topaz said when she felt his presence near her.

"I'm sorry," Elek replied. "I didn't want to hurt you. I just wanted to do what I thought was right. I wanted the orb to be sealed again because I thought it was dangerous."

"I can understand that," Topaz said. "But you still went along with their plan knowing that it was dangerous."

"And I feel extremely guilty about that." Elek shoved his hands into his pockets and walked right along with her. "I never expected to get so close to you all. My job was just to deliver new Summoners to the Council."

"That was a terrible job," Topaz said.

"Yeah." Elek nodded. "I'm thinking about getting a new one."

"Oh?" She tossed him a glance. "Anything in particular in mind?"

"Not yet," Elek said.

"I don't suppose a pirate would be on the list of possibilities?" Topaz asked.

"I'm afraid not," Elek said. "I'm not much of the pirate type. I kind of prefer to stay on the right side of the law. I'm sorry."

"I understand," Topaz said. "I never expected to become a pirate either."

"Do you regret it?" Elek asked.

"I never could. I love Neo far too much," Topaz said. "Besides, I could always return to Luminous to get away from the pirate life if I chose."

"Or you could come here," Elek said. Both paused. "But I guess that's not an option since you have no desire to leave your sister."

"I'm sorry," Topaz said. They started walking again. His hand found its way to hers. "I guess we're just meant to be star crossed lovers or something like that anyway."

"Looks like it," Elek said. "But you know you always have a home here if you want or need it."

"I know," Topaz said. "And you are always welcome aboard the Polar Tang and the Sunny."

"Yeah." Elek nodded again. With their fingers laced, the two continued on their peaceful walk along the beach as the sun started to set.

…

Luna wondered through the grounds of Zion until she found herself standing in front of her grandfather's grave. She placed the flowers down on it and sat down. "Hello, Grandpa. Guess what? The Mortem Orb is finally free of Mount Zion. There was a crazy battle with the Council, but Law or the Mortem Orb, defeated them. It's all back to normal now. Neo and Law are doing just fine. Both have completely recovered from the ordeal. The baby's fine as well."

A warm breeze blew over her skin as she went quiet for a few minutes. "Neo asked me to come along with them. Can you see it? Me as a pirate? It's kind of funny. I've thought about staying here so I could still be closer to you. But there are so many bad memories here. Even though people are now treating me a bit nicer I don't think I want to stay here. It would be too lonely without you and the crews, especially Neo. I never thought I'd care about someone like this. I'm not sure if it's okay for me to say this or even feel this, but I kind of see her as my mom. Do you think she would mind that?"

Luna paused again. She looked up at the red and orange sky. "Either way, I still want to be with her. So I'm going to leave with them. I just wanted you to be the first to know." She brought her eyes back down to the stone. "I hope you'll be okay with this. I know I'm just a kid and this is a very big decision. But I know I'll be safe with them. Don't worry about me, Grandpa. I promise I'll be on my best behavior." She chuckled. "That sounds odd since I'm becoming a pirate. But I'll make you proud of me."

Luna stood up and brushed the dirt and grass off her dress. "I should probably train some before we have to set sail. I'm not sure how the sub will handle my abilities. And I haven't really done much with them since I've stopped. Well, I'll come see you before we leave, Grandpa."

She walked out of the graveyard. Slowly walking back to the apartments she went over her decision about joining the pirates. She hadn't told them yet. Her mind had been so divided. It was mind bottling to her that she was divided on her decision. But then she realized that the only reason she wanted to stay here was this was her home. This was where she lived with her grandfather for eight years, never leaving this island for anything. Fear wanted her to stay here on this island where everyone was mean to her. She was scared to leave the only home she knew, but she knew that she would be safe with Neo and her crew. Without really noticing it happen, she had come to love the pirates as family. Though it was a long shot, she hoped that Neo and Law would one day be her parents or be like parents to her. She already saw Neo as a mother figure.

Without realizing her, she had reached the apartments. The pirates were all there. Having fun like always, still partying that their captains were safe once again. Standing back from them, she watched. Just taking in how much of a family they were. Never would she have ever thought of pirates as a family. But here they were. Two crews that was as close as people could be. Her eyes stopped on Neo, who was sitting in Law's lap. She knew that the blue haired pirate was the one who was the glue that held them together.

"Hey! Luna!" Luffy called. "What are you doing over there?! Come over here and join us!"

Luna walked over to them.

"Is something wrong, Luna?" Neo asked.

"No, I was just visiting with my grandpa," Luna said. "There was something I needed to tell him before I came here."

"Oh?" Neo asked. "Would you like to share or was it a private conversation?"

"I'll share," Luna said. Shyness washed over her as she dropped her eyes to the ground and started digging her shoe into the dirt. "I've decided, if you would be fine with it, to, um, join you when you leave."

Neo looked at Law. Both were plenty shocked that the young girl decided to take them up on their offer. Standing up, Neo and Law walked over to her. Neo knelt down and put her hands on Luna's shoulders. "Luna, you know you are more than welcome to come with us. We're happy to have you."

"Really?" Luna looked into Neo's eyes.

"Really." Neo nodded. "We love you, Luna."

Luna's bottom lip trembled. Tears pricked the back of her eyes. She flung her arms around Neo's neck and hugged her tightly. "I love you too! I want to always stay with you! So don't leave me behind!"

"We would never leave you behind." Neo put her arms around Luna, holding her close to her body. Once they pulled away from each other, she took Luna's face in her hands and kissed her nose. "Welcome to our family."

The Heart Pirates cheered. "Welcome, Luna! Welcome to the Heart Pirates!"

"Yeah! Party time!" Luffy cheered.

"Not again," Zoro said. "We just had a party to celebrate winning over the Council."

"So? This is a bigger event than that!" Luffy said.

"You just want to eat more," Usopp said. He sighed when Luffy just laughed. "You'll never change."

"Looks like Neo and the captain's baby will have an older sister," Shachi said.

"Hey!" Luna's cheeks flushed. "I never said I wanted them to be my parents!"

"Don't try to deny it," Tero said. He walked over then bent down to smirk at the girl. "We can see right through you. You want a family."

Luna's cheeks brightened. "You're supposed to be the sensible one! Why are you teasing me?!"

"Because you're now part of the crew," Tero said, ruffling Luna's hair. "Get use to it. And don't expect me to treat you special from the rest of the crew. You're going to work just as hard as we do."

"What?!" Luna gasped. "I'm just a kid!"

"But you'll grow up!" Tero said.

"Neo!" Luna looked to her only savior.

"You all will treat Luna with the respect she deserves," Neo said. "She'll have her fair share of chores, but you all are not going to use her to do your own chores."

…

"Are you sure you want to train with me?" Law asked then next day. They were standing outside of the apartments. No one felt like going to the training field after what happened. Besides this was just going to be a simple sparring session with their auras to get Luna back into the swing of things.

"I'm sure." Luna nodded. "You're going to be my captain from now on. Plus, you're going to be the only one who I can really train with. So I have to get use to training with you."

"Understood," Law said. "Just understand that when you get older I won't be so easy on you as I'm going to be now."

"I understand," Luna said. "And I wouldn't expect anything else."

"All right then." Law passed his sword over to Bepo. "Then let's begin."

"Law, you had better take it nice and slow with her," Neo said. "I don't want a single scratch on her."

"Yes, Neo, I know," Law said. "I'll be careful."

"Okay," Neo said. "This is nerve wracking. I don't think I watch this."

"Then don't watch," Usopp said.

"How dare you say that?!" Neo snapped with tears in her eyes. "I have to watch! My babies are fighting each other! How could you be so mean?!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Usopp said, bowing his head multiple times. "I didn't mean to upset you!"

"Well, you did! Don't do it again!" Neo said.

"I won't," Usopp said while the others laughed at the mood swing spectacle in front of them.

Shanks chuckled and put his arm around Neo's shoulder. "There, there. He's a man. You know how insensitive they can be."

Luna closed her eyes. Connecting to her aura, it spread out over her body until she was completely engulfed in her white glow.

"Wow," Nami said.

"It's so beautiful," Robin added while Luna started shaping her aura into objects.

"I wonder if her aura has anything to do with her hair," Sanji said.

"Is that possible?" Neo asked.

"Probably not," Robin said. "My mother had white hair too."

Neo hummed while she kept a close eye on Luna's training. It didn't take the young Summoner long to feel comfortable using her aura. And now Luna and Law were exchanging simple blows with each of their aura.

…

Luna looked around the house she had spent so many years in. It felt so empty to her on more than one level but still smelled the same, like her grandfather. All of the things she had chosen to take with her had been loaded up on the sub. The rest of the stuff had been given to Teal so she could sell it off or put in another home for someone. She really didn't care which. It was a symbolic expression of starting her new life as part of a pirate crew. The thought sent tingles up and down her entire body. To say she was nervous wouldn't be true. She couldn't think of a word to describe how she was feeling. Moving in with Neo and the crew was the right choice. There was no way she would ever second guess that now. The whole thing was just scary. She was taking her first steps off the island that had been her home for eight years. It was a lot to take in. Touching the wall, she turned and headed out the door. The sun replaced the dimness as she stepped outside.

With a heavy sigh, she walked through the yard and down the path that eventually took her to the graveyard where her grandfather was buried. Sitting down in front of his headstone, she placed her hands in her lap and just listened to the wind. Closing her eyes, she tried to imagine what her grandfather would think or say about her joining a pirate crew. He probably wouldn't be very excited for her. But she knew he would be happy for her to have found people she trusted so much. "Well, this is it, Grandpa. I'm leaving Zion. The crews' are going to be departing the island within an hour. The house has been taken care of. So there's nothing to worry about. And you don't have to worry about me either. I know Neo and the pirates are going to take very good care of me. I'll be the best girl I can be. And I'll be the best Summoner I can be."

Luna paused and looked up at the sky. She had no idea how long she had been sitting there just staring at the lazy clouds floating overhead. With warm breeze flowing over her skin, she knew she needed to get to the sub. She stood up. "Well, this is it. Maybe we can come see you sometime. I just want you to know that I love you so much. You did a good job in raising me."

With that, Luna turned and walked away from the grave. On the way back to the sub, she listened to the crowds like she usually did. Things had changed. There weren't as many people hostile towards her anymore. Mostly because she had been proven right about the Council and the Mortem Orb. However, some were still a bit hostile towards her, blaming her for what happened. She didn't mind. This was the last time she was going to have to hear them.

Soon the noisy chatter of the people was replaced by the rustling of the leaves. She had reached the apartment. Pausing momentarily, she looked up at the tree before heading on through the forest and down the path that led her right to the pirate ships. All three of the ships were snuggling together like they had been since the day they had arrived here, with the exception of Shanks' ship. And the crews looked ready to leave. Some were already on the ships while others were still down on the island. A smile came to her face when she saw that Teal was hugging both Chopper and Bepo and looking like she wasn't going to let them go. It really was bad that Teal didn't get to spend much time with the pirate animals. Then it was probably a good thing. If Teal had spent more time with them she probably wouldn't let them go.

Looking up, she found the twins were once again flying around Luffy. The rubber man was lucky to have Neo around to fly him. It made her wonder how often Luffy did go for a flight. Bringing her eyes back down she saw Neo and Law speaking with the twins' mother and grandfather with Shanks standing nearby. Moving forward, she joined the crews.

"Luna, did you get done what you needed?" Neo asked.

"I did." Luna nodded.

"I'm going to ask you this one last time," Law said. "Are you sure you want to go with us."

"Absolutely," Luna said firmly. "Without Grandpa, there's nothing here for me."

Law nodded, satisfied the girl had her mind made up.

"We're going to miss you around here, Princess," Edan said.

"I will miss you as well," Neo said. "But we have spent enough time here. It's time for us to get back to our own lives."

"You know you are welcome here anytime," Mesi said.

"Yes." Neo nodded. "Take care of yourselves."

"We will," Edan said.

"And they have us to help with that," Aura and Era said, floating upside down behind the two adults.

"Now that's a comfort," Edan said, rolling his eyes.

"Hey!" the twins protested.

"Let's fly higher!" Luffy cheered.

The twins lifted him back up into the air.

"Can we leave him here?" Law asked.

"Law." Neo elbowed him on the arm. "Behave."

"I am behaving," Law said, smirking.

"Sure you are." Neo leaned into his arm and squeezed his hand. Her eyes drew over to movement near the path. Elek was walking over to them. Expectantly, her heart sank a little in her chest upon seeing the man. She didn't think she would be sad to leave this island. And despite what transpired here, she still cared about him and Bao.

"I take it you all are ready to leave now," Elek said.

"We are." Law nodded.

Neo nuzzled against her lover. She was glad he was in charge. She didn't know if she would be able to give the order to set sail.

Elek smiled when Topaz walked over to them. She smiled and said, "So this is it."

"I guess it is," Elek said. He reached out and brushed his fingertips over the orb on her forehead. "Once I remove these orbs your adventure on Zion is officially over."

"I'm as ready as can be," Topaz said.

"Then let's ship out," Law said.

"Yeah! Time to set sail!" Luffy cheered just as he landed on the Sunny with the help of the twins. "Get onboard!"

"So this is it," Shanks said.

"It's not fair that we hardly ever get to spend time together," Neo said.

"I know." Shanks placed his hand over her cheek. "But you know this is the life we both chose to live."

"Yeah." Neo nodded before wrapping her arms around her godfather. "I know. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you as well," Shanks said, returning her hug. "Take care of yourself. And keep me updated on how your baby is doing. I still want to come see you when the baby is born."

"I'll be looking forward to that," Neo said. Pulling away from him, she felt his lips on her forehead before he finally pulled away. She watched as her godfather joined his crew on their ship. Tears leaked down her cheeks as she watched the sails drop and the ship began to move out to the sea.

"See you later, Shanks!" Luffy cried from the Sunny.

"Take care, Luffy!" Shanks replied back. "I'll see you when you become a great pirate!"

"You bet I will!" Luffy said. "Bye!"

"See you later!" Usopp said.

"Bye bye!" Chopper added. The three Straw Hats were waving like crazy, like the Red Haired Pirates were their best friends.

Neo exhaled and looked up at Law.

"You ready?" Law asked.

"As ready as I will ever be," Neo said. "Let's go home."

Law nodded. The remaining pirates climb upon the ships while Law warped Neo up there so she didn't have to use her crystals.

The twins wrapped their winds around Elek and joined the pirates on the Polar Tang. Standing on the deck, they waited until they were far enough away from the island before Elek removed the orbs from them.

"Wait," Penguin said. "What about the Mortem Orb? Won't it force Neo and Topaz to use it?"

"Uh," Elek said. "I guess it would."

" _You don't have to worry," the Mortem said._

Law reached into his pocket and pulled the orb out.

" _I won't force them to use me," it said._

"What's it saying?" Shachi asked.

"It's saying that it won't force them to use it," Law said. "I trust it. So go ahead and take the orbs off their foreheads."

"All right, but I'm going to leave them with Luna just in case." Elek reached out and gave a light tug on the orb on Neo's forehead. Painlessly, it slipped right off.

Neo hummed as she rubbed her forehead, glad for it to finally be off of her.

Elek then turned to Topaz. The two smiled at each other. He reached up and took it off before handing the orbs over to Luna who was waiting for them.

Topaz pushed up on her toes and captured Elek's lips, earning several hollers and whistles from the crews.

"Woohoo!"

"Don't go too far now! We're leaving!"

"Kissy! Kissy!"

Luna scoffed. "Children."

They broke the kiss. Holding hands for a second before Elek stepped away from her. He said, "See you around."

"Yeah." Topaz said, holding back her tears.

"Well, you all be careful." Elek scanned his eyes over the pirates. "It was great meeting you all. If you're ever by this way again, be sure to stop and say hi."

"You know we will," Neo said.

"Princess." Elek took Neo hand. Kneeling down, he placed a light kiss on it. "You have my loyalty."

"And you have mine," Neo said.

Elek released her hand.

"See you," the twins said before they lifted Elek into the air.

"So this is really it," Bepo said.

"It kind of feels like a dream," Shachi said.

"Too bad it wasn't," Penguin said. "And we have two reminders that it wasn't."

The pirates turned their eyes to Luna.

Luna shrugged in response. "I'm not the one you have to worry about."

"The Mortem Orb," the crew chorused.

"I guess this makes you even more of the Surgeon of Death," Shachi said.

Law smirked.

…

Later that day, Neo wondered out onto the deck after making sure Luna was settled into her new room. She found who she was looking for, Topaz staring off into the distance. She watched her sister from the door for a few minutes before walking over to her. Slipping her arm into Topaz's, she leaned her head against her sister's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Topaz nodded. "I guess I'm just going to miss him more than I thought."

"You could go back," Neo said.

"I know I could," Topaz said. "But my home is here." She looked at Neo. "With you."

"But if you're going to be this sad," Neo said.

"Neo, I am sad to have to part from him, but I know I made the right choice," Topaz said.

"How?"

"Because, while I like Elek a lot, I'm not _in love_ with him," Topaz said.

"I guess that would be true," Neo said. "If you did love him, you would have stayed, wouldn't you?"

"I think I would have," Topaz said.

Neo bit her bottom lip when tears pricked her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Topaz said. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's fine," Neo said. "I know that there's a high possibility that you or one other crewmember will find someone to fall in love with and you will chose to leave the crew. I just hope that it's a long, long time before that happens."

"I'm sure it will be," Topaz said. "So how are Luna and the orb settling in?"

"They're fine," Neo said. "The orb agreed to let me lock it up in my Luminous shelf when it's needed. But for the most of the time it's going to be with Law."

"That's good," Topaz said.

"It really does feel like it was a dream," Neo said, staring at the horizon.

"Yeah." Topaz nodded.

"Maybe we'll return to the dream some day," Neo said.

"Maybe." Topaz smiled.

…

 **Author's Notes: Well, that's it. I had no idea how to end the final chapter but here it is. Still don't think I built up the Summoner world very well. I'd like to do a sequel at some point to see more of Luna's abilities. But for now I'm going to play catch up with my other fanfics. So look for updates soon on Death Memories and Monkey D Law soon. I'm also hoping to get my AU where Neo grows up on Luminous posted sometime this month, so look for it too if you want to read it. Thanks for reading and commenting!**


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